Scare Tactics
by et-spiritus-sancti
Summary: Complete:: Set some years in the future. The daughter of Harm and Mac finds out what her parents were like in the past...but not in the way she expected. EPILOGUE added!
1. Dare To Be Wild

__

_JAG_

"Scare Tactics" 

By et-spiritus-sancti

Disclaimer: Based on CBS's "JAG". No infringement intended. All characters belong to "Belisarius" productions except for Grace Rabb, Clayton Webb Jr., and anyone else I make up along the way ;) 

Alllll right, now that all the technical stuff is outta the way, just gotta say a few things. My other JAG story, "Unstable" is *not* finished, and I *haven't* completely abandoned it! Keep an eye out for the next chapter!

 This little story is set a...few years in the future. Harm and Mac are married, yadda, yadda, yadda. Only Harm is now *the* JAG, and Mac has retired. This is mostly centered on Grace. Not sure how long it's gonna be. I have a couple ideas sparking in my mind that might make this a little longer. And the film _Back to the Future_ has nothing to do with the making of this story!! (you'll see what I mean in the next chapter!)

 Hope you enjoy it! Happy Halloween!! Oh, one more thing, since I completely hate the idea of Harm being a spook instead of a JAG attorney, I'm just gonna pretend season 9 never happened...

Chapter One: Dare To Be Wild 

2130 ZULU

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

 Sixteen-year-old Grace Rabb stayed in the elevator and let the officers shuffle around her to exit. Grace watched the doors close yet a third time. 

 _Come on, Rabb. Get it together. _

Grace put an arm in between the doors before they fully closed. She now stood in the corridor. One door led to the bullpen, the other to the conference room. Maybe she could hide in there to do her homework. No, the plan was useless. She'd have to talk to her parents one way or another. Might as well just get it over with. If they said no, she'd just have to live with it...and the fact that her social life would be ruined for a few months. But then again, Dad could say yes. Which is why Grace chose to come to the office first. She could usually get what she wanted from Dad. 

 Grace adjusted the strap of her backpack on her shoulder, and strode into the bullpen, colliding with Commander Jason Tiner. 

Grace watched in horror as the attorney's cup of coffee spilled all over his shoes. The girl drew in a breath, and slowly let her eyes meet with Tiner's. "Commander, I am _so sorry_."

He sighed, biting his lip. He then forced a smile. "It's all right, Grace. I've been meaning to get new shoes anyway." Tiner used the napkin he'd luckily had with him, and dried his hands. "What's the rush, anyway?"

 "Uh, well, I'm sort of still in a rush. Sorry!" Grace threw over her shoulder as she headed toward Admiral Rabb's office. 

 The yeoman in the front office nodded at the girl as Grace cautiously put a hand on the door. She knocked on it quickly, and entered the office without waiting for an answer from inside. At the moment, her father was on the phone, and his head was bent over the desk, scattered with documents and folders. He glanced up quickly, putting his hand up, signaling to give him a minute. His gaze then dropped back down to the documents. 

"Yes, sir, I understand. Don't worry, Mr. Secretary, it'll be taken care of."

Grace slid her backpack off her shoulder and placed it in one of the leather chairs opposite the desk. She then moseyed over to the window behind her father's chair, sitting on the ledge. Several photographs lined the edge of the desk, mostly of her siblings, her mother, and herself. On a shelf near the door, was evidence of her father's past occupation. The model of his yellow biplane rested among older photographs. Her favorite was of her dad as a boy, in Grandpa's Tomcat. 

 The sound of the phone clicking onto the receiver shook Grace's gaze away from her father's past. She hopped off the window ledge and rested her elbows on the top of the leather chair. 

 "What'd the SECNAV want?"

Her father sighed, rubbing his forehead. "More information than I can give—why aren't you at home, Gracie?" He inquired after he stood to kiss her on the head. 

 Grace shrugged a shoulder and went back to her seat at the windowsill. At this, Harm went back to his documents, reading them over and then signing them. 

"Actually, I need to talk to you." Grace said, knowing that would get his attention.

Harm put the pen down and slowly rotated the chair around to the window. "About what?" He asked suspiciously. 

 Grace took in a deep breath and continued. "Okay, I was sort of asked to this Halloween party...and it's...kind of a big deal."

 Her dad cocked an eyebrow. "Really." He answered, his tone flat. 

"Yeah, so, can I go?"

"Where is it?"

Grace bit her lip. "...It's at a frat house." She put her hands up in defense upon seeing her father's reaction, "now wait a minute. Lemme explain. The house belongs to Jordan Watz. And he's the older brother of Ben Watz, who's throwing the party. Now Jordan and his fraternity are in France, where there's some architecture program. So the party is just for high school kids."

 Harm clenched his jaw. "And the chaperones? And other college kids don't count." He added.

"Ben's mom is gonna be there. She's making all the food or something." 

Harm let his head rest in his hands. When a question suddenly came to him and he picked his head up, resting his chin on his fist. "Who asked you?"

 Grace scoffed. "Clay."

Harm's eyes enlarged. "What? You two hate each other!"

"So? Showing up without a date is just as bad as not showing up at all! Besides, wouldn't you feel better about me going with someone you trust?"

"Clay is the son, and grandson of spooks, Gracie. Of course I don't trust him," Harm painfully watched his daughter's expression drop a few degrees, "Look, hon, why don't you just take your brother and sister trick or treating?"

 Grace narrowed her eyes. "Okay, first of all, Jake is too old for trick or treating."

"He's eleven. And if I remember correctly, you didn't stop until you were thirteen!"

"Second," Grace continued, "this party means a lot. If I don't go..." She stopped, noticing the hard expression on her father's face. Grace sighed, letting her gaze wander to another older photo of her father, a grown man, in the cockpit of his own F-14. Whatever happened to that guy? The cocky young man who looked danger in the face and laughed at it? What she would give to have known him then!

 "Look, Daddy, not that there would be any dangers, but if there were, you know I can take care of myself. Plus Clay will be with me! So...can I go?"

 Harm stroked the wedding ring on his finger and stared out the window, his eyes full of thought. "Let me talk to your mother. Then we'll see."

***

2314 ZULU

Rabb Home

Georgetown, Virginia 

Mrs. Rabb shrugged. "I don't see a problem with it."

Harm chuckled incredulously. "Mac, it's a barely chaperoned party full of kids we don't know on the other side of town! I can see a _lot_ of potential problems!"

Mac handed her husband five dinner plates from the kitchen cabinet. "What, you don't trust your own daughter?"

 The Admiral followed his wife into the dining room. "Of course I trust her. It's _them_ I don't trust."

Mac took the plates from his arms, setting them each on the table, with Harm following her closely. "And you don't trust Clay either?"

 Harm narrowed his eyes. "Who told you that?"

"Grace, of course." Mac answered as she headed back to the kitchen, with Harm at her heals.

"You've already talked to her?"

Mac gathered all the forks and knives, handing Harm the napkins. "For fifty-seven minutes."

 "And?"

Mac sighed, thinking it over. "And I think she'll be just fine. Stop worrying, flyboy." She added, giving Harm the salt and pepper. Harm didn't move this time, and this caught his wife's attention. 

 "All I can do is worry about her." He murmured. 

***

Isabel suddenly shrieked and jumped out of her chair. The rest of the Rabb family whipped up their heads from their plates, while Jake laughed hysterically, holding up a fake, rubber rat. Eight-year-old Isabel curled in her bottom lip, snatching the rat away from her brother. 

"Jerk-face!"

"Barf-face!" Jake through back.

"Dork!" 

"Troll!"

"Stop!" Mac slammed her palm on the table.

Jake and Isabel quieted at the tone of their mother's voice. "Sorry." They said in unison. Harm and Grace glanced over at each other with stifled grins and continued eating. 

Mac, sitting at one end of the table, reached her hand out to Isabel. "Give it to me." The girl brought the toy to her mother, holding it by the end of its tail with the tip of her fingers, a look of disgust on her young face.

 "Now sit down and eat you spaghetti." Mac instructed. 

The children did so, but continued to pass nasty looks to one another. Grace decided this was a good time to change the subject. 

 "So, Mom, Dad...have you talked?"

Harm and Mac exchanged glances. Grace's heart sank at the looks on her parents' faces. 

Mac put her fork down and took a drink from her glass. Harm stared at his plate, twirling the spaghetti around his fork, but not eating it. 

 The ex-Marine sighed, forcing a smile. "We did, Gracie, and we both think...maybe next year."

Grace's fork clattered on her plate, making Jake and Isabel start in their chairs. "Next year?! Next _year_? How will I be any different next year?" 

 "We just think sixteen is a little young to be running off to parties." Harm said calmly. 

Grace shook her head. "A little young? Well sixteen obviously wasn't too young for _you _to steal your parent's money and traipse off to Vietnam!"  

 The silence was agonizing, and Grace looked away, but she could still feel the four pairs of eyes staring at her. Inside, the anger still burned in her, but her hands were shaking from the disappointment and embarrassment that she could feel from her father's gaze. Her mother was the first to move as she sat back in the dining room chair. 

 "Why don't you go—"

Grace didn't need to be told to go to her room. She stood abruptly, tightly pulled her sweater across her chest, and left the room. 

 "I'm full." Jake announced as he stared at his food. 

"Eat some more broccoli and you can go." Mac said softly. 

Harm continued to eat as well, his blue eyes aberrantly dark. Isabel seemed to be the only one confused by the situation and she looked at each of her family members with a frown on her face. 

 "Daddy?"

"What, baby?" He said dully.

"Why did you go to Vietnam?" 

***

Clayton Webb Jr. swiveled his computer chair in slow circles, his head leaned back, and his eyes studying the ceiling as he listened to Grace's story unfold over the phone. 

 _"It was unbelievable, Clay. I don't think I've ever seen that expression on Dad's face before."_

Clay sighed. "Geeze, Grace, exactly what the hell did you say to them?"

Her voice became irritated on the other end. _"Nothing that would make it sound like the party was anything dangerous!"_

"Well, you obviously said _something_ wrong. Did you even consider how this would affect me?"

"Let's get something straight, Clay. The only reason I called you was to say that you have forty-eight hours to find another date."

Clay swiveled the chair around to his computer, initiating a game of Solitaire. "That's impossible. All the cute girls are taken," He said with a sigh, "Look, Grace, it can't be that hard, just sneak out of the house, and sneak back in!"

She scoffed. _"Clay, my mother is an ex-Marine, and my father has done more special-op missions than I can count. I can barely turn over in bed without them knowing."_

Clay scoffed. "You think that's bad? I live with two CIA agents. Sneaking out of this house is nearly impossible with the alarm systems and all that crap."

A pause on the other end. "Touché. But then how am I supposed to get outta here?"

 He shrugged. "Create a distraction in another part of the house. While your parents try to figure out what's wrong, sneak out."

***

2230 ZULU

Rabb Home, Georgetown, Virginia

October 31st

 The past forty-eight hours had been quiet in the Rabb household. Harm had made excuses to stay late at the office, Mac kept herself busy with cleaning the house, and Grace stayed in her room after school until dinner time. Even if the whole family happened to be present at the evening meal, the only sounds came from Jake and Isabel. 

 Isabel forked a piece of asparagus and brought it up to her face. Her nose scrunched. 

"Ugh, do I have to eat this?"

Harm's brow furrowed at his youngest child's comment. "What, you don't like it?"

Isabel watched as the vegetable fell from the fork and hit the plate with a soft "plop."

 "Daddy, how come everything you make is...weird?" Isabel asked as she poked the salmon with her knife. 

 Jake forked a piece of his sister's asparagus. "I'll have yours then."

Mac hid her smile by taking a drink from her glass. "I'll make you a deal, Bel. You eat a few more bites, and I'll make you my beef stew tomorrow night." 

 "Ah, Mom, gross!" Jake exclaimed. 

Isabel grinned, then looked over at her big sister, who ate quietly across from her. "Are you taking us trick or treating tonight, Grace?" She said excitedly. 

 Grace shrugged. "I don't think so. I'm kinda tired."

The little girl's expression sank. "You _used_ to go with us."

  Grace stood, took her plate, and headed towards the kitchen. "Things change, Isabel."

Harm stood as well. "I'll help you with the dishes, Gracie."

"No thanks." She said from the kitchen. 

He sighed and sat back down, locking eyes with his wife. She smiled sympathetically. 

 "Give her time."

***

 Grace dropped down from the pergola, landing on the porch. She cringed from the thump her feet made, and hoped her parents didn't hear it. Most likely, they were at the other side of the house, calming poor Isabel down from the fake rat she'd found in her covers. 

 Grace stepped carefully across the grass of the back yard. The cuffs of her blue jeans were already wet from the dew, but the cold, bitter night air would soon dry them. Closing the gate behind her, Grace made her way through Mrs. Bink's backyard and out to the sidewalk. She spotted Clay's car up at the end of the block. He must have seen her too, because he flashed his headlights. Deciding to run, since it felt much better than walking, Grace dashed down the sidewalk towards his car. And little did she know, that this little stunt was going to change the view she had on a life forever.

***

TBC

***

Okay, should I continue? I had a lot of fun writin' the beginning, I'd like to share the rest with you!!! And as always, if u spot mistakes or have any suggestions, please tell me. And as far as flamers...*shrug*...free speech is free speech. Ciao! 

~sancti


	2. Insanity Plea

WOW! Thank you so much for such positive feedback!!!! I like to write responses to everyone's reviews, and they should all be in order from oldest to newest. 

mara-rabb: Yay! That's my first objective, to get someone hooked on this! Thank you so much for being my first reviewer!! *does happy dance*

jagchick105: Eeek! It's been forever! How are you?? Thanks for checking out my story! For a while there, I just didn't touch *any* of my stuff and I think I was getting depressed over it. But I'm back now with more motivation! Thank you for reviewing, I always look forward to yours because it's always so positive! Thanks!

winjin: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter! And thank you for coming back for more!

anonymous: I hope this was updated soon enough! I usually like to let it run its course, let the new chapter stay on the first page until it's knocked to page two. Thank you for reading!

Chloe1: Thank you for your support! It means so much!

ArwenUndomiel: Thank you for reviewing! Hope you come back for more!

emokid: Ack! I'll try to write as fast as I can!!! Thank you for reading and reviewing!

shanabear: Ah, some of your questions shall be answered in this chappy! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Cor: Yay! You're hooked! Goody! Thanks so much for being interested!

kiwi: Thanks for reading and reviewing! It means a lot, I'm so glad you like this! Ah! And you're lucky number 10 in the review list! THANK YOU, KIWI!!!!! *does happy dance*

sunchaser2: Thank you for your support and for reading!

Kulots: I'm glad you like it! Hope ya come back for more! Thanks!

pendray: Yay! Awesome! Good word! :D Thank you for reading and reviewing!

neenee: Thank you so much! Your review means a lot! Please come back for more!

beegirl: LoL, I was playing that scene throughout my head, going through dialogue, and I was thinking of something rebellious for Grace to say, and that just seemed to fit. I'm glad you liked it! Thank you so much for reviewing!!!

Pennethil: Well, I'm supposed to be taking Italian this year, so I am very excited. My pen name is actually Latin, which of course Italian is derived from. Good luck with that course! Yeah, see, I wanted Harm to be the JAG, and with Harm and Mac married, they wouldn't be aloud to serve in the same chain of command. So that's just how it played out! I'm not sure how I'll be able to bring in the other characters as their older selves. Perhaps at the end of the story. We'll see! Anywho, thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

Hazel: Yay! I'm glad you like it! Aw, no, I'm sorry! Well, I don't suggest doing what Grace has :D. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

DD2: *jumps up and down* I love enthusiasm! Thank you for your support!!!!

Pissed Off Poet1: Thank you for reviewing! (btw, luv your pen name ;)

Deb: Thank you for reading! Ah! And you're lucky number 20 in the review list!!! THANK YOU, DEB!!!!!!!!! *does happy dance* 

jagfan42: LOL, don't I know it, jagfan! I *am* a kid! I'm fifteen, and as far as little kids go, I've had my share of babysitting adventures to know how they act, lol. Thank you so much for reading and telling what you think! Your support means a lot!

Valerie Jones: Thank you for reading! The rest you shall see!!!!

WhenDovesCry4: LoL, I always imagine Mac and Harm with a...good sized little family....if that makes sense, lol. Thank you for reading!

Mary Kate113: Thank you! I love the name Gracie, and it just seemed to fit. Ohh, my, well, in the next two chapters, Grace's life will change quite a lot...thank for reading and reviewing!!

CharmedMummy: LoL, I really didn't even think this was going to be a long story until a certain idea sorta popped into my head. If I _do_ do it right, hopefully you'll enjoy it! Omg, to tell the truth, lol, I had a picture in my head of what a pergola was, I just didn't know what it was called, so I asked my mom who has a knowledge of all things garden-like. Okay, it's usually made out of wood, and has a criss-cross pattern. Looks sorta like a gate, only you put it on the side of the house, and basically, it's just there for plants with vines, so they can climb up it. It's also useful for humans to climb when escaping the tortures of home :D. I hope I explained that well enough!!! As far as Webb's wife...we'll get to that later 8^) Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

maggie: Oh, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Your support means so much!!! 

Now, on with the story!!

Chapter 2: Insanity Plea 

0200 ZULU

Campus Fraternity House #6

Seven Miles Outside of Georgetown

Clay gave Grace a once-over as they approached the frat house through its spacious front yard. He eyed her sweater-jacket that was over her tank top and the simple flare-bottomed blue jeans. The girl finally stopped in her tracks and threw her hands in the air. 

 "What?"

Clay shook his head. "I can't believe you didn't dress up as anything. I thought you were going to be my lady vampire." He said, disappointed as he looked over his own costume.

Grace rolled her eyes. "Look, I can't drive, and there aren't any costume stores near my house."

 He sighed. "Yeah, well, thanks for telling me, cause, you know, I could've just done what you did," Clay spat, "and come as an angry, stuck-up, PMS-driven, spoiled little teenage girl who doesn't appreciate anything or anyone!" 

 "Oh, would you just shut it with the sarcasm, Clay?!" Grace hissed. She then tried to avoid the curious glances from a couple that passed them.

 "Who says I was being sarcastic?" Clay retorted, a smug grin on his features. He then held out a pair of plastic fangs. 

 "Grace!" 

 She turned her head towards the sound of her name, and saw a rather tall guy standing on the front porch wearing a werewolf mask. Ben took the mask off and smiled warmly at Grace, giving a little wave. 

"Hey, Ben." Grace replied, ignoring Clay's stare that burrowed through her.

"I was starting to get worried that you wouldn't show up at all."

 Grace grinned. "You know I wouldn't miss this."

***

0230 ZULU

Grace grumbled to herself as she vigorously rubbed at the beer stain on her sweater. Clay stood next to her, leaning on the doorframe of the bathroom, his brow furrowed as he watched. 

 "You're never going to get that stain out. Why don't you just leave the sweater here?"

Feeling a surge of frustration, Grace wadded up the wet paper towel and threw it at Clay. He jumped back as it bounced off his chest. 

 "Tsk, tsk...temper, temper." He said with an annoying wave of his finger. 

Grace ripped another paper towel from the roll and put it under the faucet when Ben suddenly appeared in the doorway. Grace ignored him.

 "I'm, uh, I'm real sorry about that, Grace. Tom can get a little...rambunctious when he's had one too many."  

 Finally giving up, Grace turned off the faucet and threw the sweater at Ben. "It wouldn't have happened if there wasn't beer being served." She mumbled angrily as she brushed past Ben into the hallway, Clay following close behind. 

The central of the party was downstairs in the living room. The music was deafening, and the bass pounded in Grace's ears. But the other kids didn't seem to be bothered by it, and they danced energetically. Leaning on the open banister, Grace watched them. Some had fallen into a drunken stupor and simply stumbled about the dance floor, the only thing holding them up was the fact that everyone was packed like sardines, and if you didn't keep moving, you'd be trampled over. 

 Ben and Clay joined her at the banister, one on either side of her. Grace looked over at Ben curiously. Most of her freshman and sophomore year, Grace had spent trying to be noticed by Ben. She thought he was perfect. The way he did his hair, with just enough gel, and small blonde highlights to give more color to his brown hair. His strong chin, perfect teeth. He had more a goofy smile than a handsome one. But it was carefree and Grace liked it anyway. And his eyes, a sea green. Grace always melted at the sight of them. 

 Ben must have felt her stare and he partly turned his head toward her make sure. Grace quickly looked away, but she could almost _feel_ his smile. 

Grace then looked over at Clay, who seemed to be mesmerized at the moment by the dancers. 

 Even though the two of them had grown up together, they'd always bickered and were constantly on each other's nerves. But for some reason, during the hardest times of their lives, one was always there for the other. And their parents constantly joked that they'd fall in love some day, but both Grace and Clay repulsed at the idea. It wasn't that Clay was not attractive, or there was anything wrong with his personality. It was just that the two of them clashed and hardly ever agreed on anything. Well, anything except for the fact that Clay loved her smile. It was one of the features she gotten from her father. That smile had won her several double takes from passer-by-ers. 

 A loud giggle erupted from behind them and a body squeezed itself between Ben and Grace. After figuring out who it was, Grace rolled her eyes and she and Clay moved over. 

"Hey, Mandy, what's up?" Ben asked, putting on his charm by flashing a smile. 

Mandy, or the 18th century mistress that she was dressed up as, leaned her back against the banister, resting her elbows on it so that she was facing Ben. 

"Great party, booze was a nice touch." She said, her voice bubbly. Grace suddenly wished she had a camera to take a picture of the most popular girl in school making a fool of herself. 

Ben shrugged. "It wasn't my idea, but thanks."

"So, are we still on for tonight?" Mandy asked, a hint of trouble dripping from her tone. 

Ben glanced over at Grace, who narrowed her eyes in confusion. "On for what?" She asked.

 Mandy turned to Grace, her face twisted in excitement. "A couple of us were going to the old Dupree Mansion. Wanna come?"

 Grace looked over at Clay, and his eyes were large with fright. But Grace was still confused. "Dupree Mansion?"

"Yeah, a few miles west of here," Ben said, "Just an abandoned house from the Civil War."

Mandy scoffed. "It's more than that...it's haunted." She added, putting her hands up and shaking her fingers. 

Grace raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Right." She said dryly.

Mandy straightened her spine and put her hands on her hips. "What, Rabb, you don't believe in ghosts?"

 "I believe in tangible evidence, Mandy. The whole, if-I-can-see-it-and-I-can-touch-it, deal."

 "Well, then you wouldn't mind spending an hour inside the house?" Mandy dared, taking a swig from the cup in her hand.  

Ben, Mandy, and Clay had their eyes on Grace, waiting for her answer. Grace looked at each of them. This was her chance. Probably her only chance to prove herself worthy. And she really didn't believe in ghosts. So she would spend an hour in a spooky house, so what? It would be better than spending another two years being completely ignored.

 A grin started to spread across Ben's face as he studied the assurance in Grace's features. 

"All right. You have yourself a deal. But as long as I'm home by eleven."

Mandy stuck up her chin. "Not a problem." 

***

 Grace thought this house was more than a couple miles outside of town. They were now in the country, and fields of yellowed corn and low bushes of soybeans flew by the car windows. The air had gotten deathly chilly, and Ben had provided her with a jean jacket. But she could still feel the cold in her bones. 

Mandy suddenly slapped the dashboard, cursing at it. "I thought you fixed this heater, Ben." She whined. 

Ben shrugged, but didn't take his eyes off the road. "I thought I did too. Maybe if you didn't hit it all the time..."

Mandy scowled and slouched back in the seat. The car was quiet for a while until Clay finally spoke up.

 "So, I've heard of the Dupree Mansion, but what's the story?"

Mandy grinned and turned around in the seat to face Clay and Grace. "You really wanna hear the story?"

"Well, gotta know what's haunting us." Grace murmured sarcastically as she stared out the window of the Oldsmobile. 

Mandy put her chin next to the headrest of her seat and began the story. "Colonel Henry Dupree owned the estate with his family, his wife and two daughters. In 1861, when the Civil War broke out, Dupree was called to duty, and served for the entire four years that the war lasted. Then in 1865, when he finally was able to come home, people say he went insane. At first, he just did weird things, like walk around the outside of the house in the middle of night. And sometimes, the daughters would wake up to see him standing in their room, screaming at the wall. He even tried to strangle a servant once, accusing him of being a Yankee spy. Anyway, a few months went by, and on All Hallows Eve of 1866, he just blew it. He took a pitchfork from the shed and murdered his wife, his daughters, and all the servants. When he was done, he climbed up to his roof, three floors up, and did a swan dive into the front yard."

Being so riveted by the story, Grace didn't even notice that Clay had taken her hand and was squeezing it. She looked over at him, and he immediately let go. Mandy continued.

"Only one family's lived in the house since. They moved in around the 1950's. They only lasted a week." Mandy put emphasis on the five words. 

"What made them move away?" Grace asked. 

Mandy slowly shifted her glance to the girl. "I didn't say they moved away. Another week went by, and a concerned friend came over because they'd been trying to contact this family, but got no answer. When this guy went into the house, there wasn't anyone there. But all the belongings, unopened boxes, the food in fridge...it was all still there...the family had vanished." Mandy grinned, and turned back around in her seat to the let the two sophomores roll the story around in their heads. 

***

The tires of the Oldsmobile crunched over the gravel as it made the ascent up the driveway. Grace rolled down the window and stuck her head out to get a glimpse of the bulky shadow up ahead. Meanwhile, Ben and Mandy exchanged smiles. Clay slumped low in his seat, and he seemed to be concentrating heavily on his breathing. Grace narrowed her brown eyes as the house came closer. It was huge. Tall, stone pillars lined the front patio and supported the roof, three floors up. Vines had grown over and wrapped themselves around the white pillars. Windows, some broken, were abundant, and during the day, the house probably received a lot of light. The entrance had two French style doors that five stone steps led up to. Colonel Dupree had obviously been a wealthy man.

 Ben stopped the car a couple yards away from the house, and for the first time since they left the party, Grace noticed that the young man actually looked worried. Mandy also gulped, and a strange feeling of respect for this house had obviously come over her.

 Grace cocked an eyebrow. "Have _you_ ever been in there?" She asked.

Mandy turned around in the seat to face her. "I'm not afraid to admit I would never go in that house."      

Grace was surprised at the girl's bluntness. "Oh."

Silence again came over the four teenagers, and Clay's heavy breathing was the only sound. After about a minute, Grace scowled and unbuckled her seat belt. "Let's get this over with."

Clay grabbed her arm as she opened the back door. "Wait!" All eyes were suddenly on him, "You—you shouldn't go in there alone. There might be some weird homeless guy or psychos in there. I'll go with you."

Clay's decision shocked her, to say the least. He usually wasn't this bold, or protective of her. He unbuckled his own seatbelt and got out of the car to prove himself. 

"Okay..." Grace mumbled under her breath. 

"Hold on a sec," Ben said as he got out of the car and handed them each a flashlight, "you'll need these." 

Mandy rolled down her window and looked down at her watch. "You have an hour...have fun..." she added dryly. 

Grace gave her a sidelong glance and then tested the flashlight. Clay did the same and then looked over at the front doors. "Ladies first." He said with a gesture of his arm. 

Grace brushed past him and walked up the steps onto the wrap-around patio. Clay was so close to her when she got to the doors, she could feel his rapid breath on her neck. And she could almost _swear_ she heard his heart beating. Pushing these thoughts out of her head, Grace put her hand on the rusted doorknob and turned it. 

 The door opened with a creak and a layer of dust fell onto the two. They coughed and waved the dust away as they entered the house. They each gave Ben and Mandy, who were now sitting on the hood of the car, one last look, and Clay closed the door.

The house groaned, as if telling them in its own language that they were not welcome. Grace swallowed and clicked on her flashlight, shining it around her. They were in the entrance hall, the floor was wooden, but a large, elaborately embroidered rug stretched throughout the whole room. A single small, rounded table was in the center. A glass vase sat on the middle of that with dead plants in it, limply hanging out of it. A staircase was on either side of the room leading up to an open banister with a hallway beyond that. The walls were a dark oak, and several paintings adorned them. Grace shown her flashlight on one, which was a portrait of a man in a 19th century military uniform, a woman, and two little girls. 

Grace nodded at it. "That must have been the Dupree family." 

Clay didn't reply and he simply stayed at her side. Grace, getting restless, shrugged, dropping her hands on her sides. "Well, what do you wanna do?"

Clay sighed. "Why don't we just sit at the door for the whole hour?"

Grace turned around, shining the light in her friend's face. Clay squinted and looked away. "And do what, Clay? Sing camp songs? I want to explore this place some." She stated, shifting the beam of the flashlight to the door on their left. "Lets go in there." Grace started to head for it when Clay grabbed her arm. 

"It might not be safe. Who knows how stable this house is?"  

Grace wrenched her arm away continuing towards the door. Clay followed reluctantly. They had found the kitchen, a rather large one, with counters along almost all four of the walls. An island was in the middle, where a cutting board, a knife, and a loaf of _very_ old bread was still waiting to be cut. A small, round kitchen table rested near a nice size window facing the front yard. Five chairs were around that. Grace then spotted another door near the fifty's style fridge. 

"Let's check that out." She suggested. 

"Let's not." Clay mumbled. 

Grace stopped. It probably led down to the basement. Grace hated basements. "All right, Clay, you win. Let's go back to the entrance hall." 

"Ahh, finally getting a little shaken up, eh?" Clay said with a smirk. 

Grace shined the flashlight in his eyes again, suddenly silently wishing to blind him. "You know I don't like basements. Come on."

Grace felt her confidence coming back and she strode swiftly back into the entrance hall and started up the staircase. Clay scoffed from below.

"Where do you think you're going?" Grace shuddered as she realized Clay sounded just like his own father when he was annoyed.

Grace ignored him and continues her ascent. "If you want to join me, I'll be up here—"

The first sickening crack made Grace's stomach do a flip-flop. She tried to make herself become as still as possible. But the beam on Clay's flashlight shook, and his breathing quickened. 

"Grace..._don't move_." 

She was afraid to say anything, breathe, or even blink. 

Clay tried to keep his voice steady, for her sake, but it was no use. He knew his friend was in jeopardy and it frightened him to the bone. "I'm just going to leave you for a minute, Grace. I'm gonna get Ben and Mandy—"

Grace held her breath as the sound of splitting wood came out from under her. Then next thing she felt was her whole body falling and her visceral scream.

***

***

***

1216 ZULU

Dupree Home

Several Miles Outside of Georgetown, Virginia

The scene of her falling played out in Grace's head over and over. The sound of wood splitting, her scream, a thud, and darkness. Grace rubbed at her eyes, wiping the sandy sleep away. Her back was sore, and a bump on her head was flaming with pain. Grace opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, or the hole where the ceiling was. Sunlight poured over it and into the basement.

All the things that happened last night suddenly came to Grace, and she realized none of this made sense. What time was it? Shouldn't she be in a hospital? Where was Clay? Ben? Mandy? 

Sitting up with a groan, Grace pushed some of the debris off and brushed the dust off her jeans. 

"Clay?!" She choked out. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "CLAY?!" 

No answer. 

"Ben?! Mandy?!"

Nothing. 

With a grunt, Grace stood, swaying a bit as the world around her fogged and swirled, but then became clear again. Putting her hands on her hips, Grace yelled out Clay's name again. But she knew she would get no answer. 

Not believing the situation, Grace started to laugh and she put her head in her hands and just chuckled to herself. "They left me here," She said in between laughs, "The bastards left me!" Another realization hit Grace, "Mom and Dad are gonna kill me..." 

   Still feeling unsteady, Grace thought it was best to get out of this place and get a ride into town and possibly check into a hospital. Grace put a hand to her forehead, where the bump was, and felt dried blood. 

"Beautiful," she mumbled, "At least I didn't get a concussion."

***

1330 ZULU

12900 Elk Lane

Georgetown, Virginia

Grace hopped out of the pickup truck. She tried to offer money to the old man, but he kindly rejected it, explaining having company for the trip was payment enough. He also suggested she clean up the bump on her head. After thanking him again, Grace started up the concrete path to her own home. But something wasn't right. Grace stopped midway and looked around the front yard.

_Lawn gnomes? Mom hates lawn gnomes!_

She then noticed the white station wagon in the driveway. 

_Whose car is that?_

Grace shrugged it off, too tired and pained to give the situation too much thought. Grace then cautiously made her way up the wooden porch steps, also taking notice of the myriad amount of potted plants that were suddenly all over the place. Then, taking in a deep breath (and preparing for the worst of all reprimands in Rabb history), Grace knocked on the storm door. Slow footsteps were heard from inside, and the front door opened to reveal a stocky woman in her late fifties. Grace froze. Who was this woman and what was she doing in her house? The woman gave her an equally puzzled look.

"May I help you, young lady?" She asked, her eyes wandering over Grace, taking special notice to the wound on her forehead. 

Grace wasn't sure what to say. This _had_ to be a dream. She _had_ to be in the hospital right now. 

"Are you all right, dear?" The woman asked, her gray eyes narrowing behind her thick-rimmed spectacles. 

Grace closed her mouth when she realized it was agape. "Um, no, I'm—I'm sorry to bother you. I'm looking for a friend's house. I thought this was it." Grace didn't really pay attention to what she was saying. The words just fell out of her mouth because it sounded like something normal. And normalcy was something she very much needed at the moment. 

Once the situation was explained, the woman's frame relaxed a bit, and she smiled warmly. "Well, what's the house number?"

Grace didn't answer because she had turned around and started to walk away. The woman called for her, asking if she needed help, but Grace didn't hear her. Instead, she walked a ways down the sidewalk, a million different thoughts passing through her head. Finally feeling like her brain was going explode, Grace backed away from the sidewalk and leaned against the hood of a Camery. Something happened to her. Something happened to the world. All Grace's life, she'd been used to having answers. Everything could be explained. Evidence was always there, whether we saw it or not. And it comforted her. But now, nothing made sense, and the only possible conclusion that Grace could draw from the situation, seemed utterly impossible. 

 She felt like she was being stared at. Grace lifted up her head to see an attractive man in his late thirties, in business clothes with a suitcase in hand, staring at her, and then at the car. 

"Do you mind?" He said smugly. 

He reminded her of someone. "Mr. Bink?" She asked. 

The man raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" He said slowly. 

Grace almost choked. This was the old guy that yelled at her and her siblings whenever they stepped an inch into his yard? Grace licked her lips, deciding to ask the one question that she wasn't sure she wanted the answer to.

"What—what year is it?"

He blinked, and looked around the area, as if expecting someone to jump out and tell him he was on Candid Camera. After surveying his surroundings, his gaze fell back on Grace. 

"It's 2002, kid."

***

TBC

***

WHEW, *tries to cool down keyboard*, I'm tired!!!!! Was that fast enough??? Usually, I like to post stuff on the weekends, cause that's when more ppl get the chance to be online, but I just couldn't wait to post this chapter. Thank you so much for reading! Mistakes? Suggestions? Go ahead and tell me!

~sancti  


	3. To Go Where No Girl Has Gone Before

Oh, man, you guys, you can't imagine how tickled pink I am. Seeing all of your positive, motivating reviews gives me that satisfying bubble of excitement in my stomach. Thank you so much for reading and telling me what you think!

Pissed Of Poet1: Ohhh, man, I'm so excited to get to that part, it's gonna be a lot fun to write. I have to tread carefully though when I do get to that part. Because this is the time where I have to start putting more thought into the ending. Make everything logical. Thank you so much for coming back, it means a lot!!

Pennithil: LoL, I'm gonna admit....I had _no_ intention of it going this way until I was about halfway through the first chapter. When I thought about the possibilities, I just couldn't pass it up. Wow, Pennit, then you have a great gift of languages!!! (my bro took Latin and he hated it). Hey, maybe you can study as many as possible and become a translator for the government!! Whoo-hoo!!! Oh my gosh, my Egypt story needs some serious planning. It started out fine, but now I *really* need to pay attention to the details of the story for it to make sense at the end. So, I'm not sure exactly when it'll be finished! LOL, and well....I do want to be a an attorney, lol!!!!! Thank you for coming back!

CharmedMummy: Ohh, I love a good, spooky Halloween story! It was fun to write! Ahh, do not worry, JAG related topics are in the near future!!!! (perhaps even a trial with all the little ideas sparking in this mixed up brain of mine)....OMG, I completely forgot about Mac's "unnatural abilities"!!!!!!!!!! How could I forget that?? I was trying to think of some ways I could make Grace and the other kids similar to their parents and.....*BONG*....(that's the sound of me hitting my head).....why didn't I think of that???!!! THANK YOU!!! *hugs* AH! And you're my lucky number 30 on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, CHARMED!

Ducks: Oh, thank you, thank you! Those words just make me feel (as I said up top) tickled pink! Well, since season 9 is, as far as I can tell, set in 2003 (and I said I didn't really like the idea of Harm losing his job), I thought I'd just stick in the 8th season somewhere. That way I can have a little more leverage when I make up things, including Webb's wife. Thank you so much for reading!

r: Yay!!! Hopefully I can get the next chapter out this week, or maybe Friday. School eats up a good portion of the day...though I could write at nights.....okay, I'm gonna try my _darndest_ (my new word) to get the chapters out in a timely fashion. Thank you for reading!

winjin: I have to admit, Win, a time-travel bit didn't even cross my mind until I was halfway through the first chapter. But now, I can't look back!! Thank you for coming back though!!!!!

Sandra: Omg, Sandra, I'm so excited to write that part. I've been having so much fun writing the story and that's gonna be one of the best parts! Thank you so much for reading!!!

sunchaser2: Ahh! Yay! You came back!! And you love it??? Yay!!! I feel happy!!!! Thank you so much for reading!!!!!!!!!

ArwenUndomiel: Eek!! *jumps up and down* thank you!!! The time-travel stuff didn't even occur to me at first. Then it hit me and I'm like..omg, I have to try this out. Okey dokey, I'll keep your email on my list and I'll be sure to inform you!!! Thanks!!!!

KS: Lol *salutes*, will do!!! Was this fast enough!!! Thank you for reading!!!

DD2: Yay! I'm lovin' writing it!!! Thank you so much for reading, DD!!! *gives a big grin back*

madmentalscot: Brilliant? *laughs nervously* no, no, but thanks. Ah, and don't you worry, there will be a *lot* more Harm and Mac very soon!!!! Thank you so much for reading!!

mia: LoL, thank you! AH! Do school, though! It's good for you! (or so they keep telling us)!!! Thank you for reading!!!!!!! Ah! And you're lucky number 40 on the review list! THANK YOU, MIA!!!!!

Kiwi: LoL, yes, I have a certain happy dance I do when I'm...well...happy, lol. Thank you for your support and for coming back!!!!

SarahRabb705: Oh, thank you for such nice words!!! The encouragement means so much! Thank you for reading!!

Corrine: LoL, well, this chapter is gonna be a little shaky in the beginning, because is still trying to overcome the realities of the situation. But yes, I do believe she'll bump into our favorite couple!

Chloe1: Thank you for coming back! Yes, we should see some interaction between Grace and our dynamic duo...thank you!!!

jagchick105: Yay! I've accomplished eerie-ness!! That was a fun chapter to write, because I could do anything I wanted. And now that I've got those first two "explanation chapters" out of the way, the real story can begin!! I'm glad you've been well! I know what you mean, it's so hard to update consistently. Ahhh, whatever happened to those lovely, lazy summer vacations......*pop*....I'm good, thank you!!!

Deb: Omg, Deb, I'm sorry! I sort of imagined Grace being born around 2004. So that would put *her* time in around 2020. Thank you for reminding me, I'll make and author's note. Eventually, yes, she's gonna "run into" mom and dad. Ohh, I can't wait to write the rest!! Thank you for reading!!!

Marines_Sis: Thank you! Where did I come up with it??? Well, Sis, somewhere, in the deep, scary caverns of my brain, the little idea pushed and strained to get to the surface and *POP*! Instant idea! LoL, do I wish all of them came like that! Thank you! I try to update as soon as I can!!!

snosamie6: Cool, thank you for reading!!!

emokid: Ah, you can bet your math homework it'll be updated soon!!! Thank you for reading! Ah! You're lucky number 50 on the review list! THANK YOU, EMO!

Katherine: Thank you for reading! Hmm, the thought about Singer's baby did cross my mind. If I do something with it, I don't think it's going to be the center of the story. I'll think about it! Thank you!!

starryeyes10: Oh, you can bet your starry eyes that there will be a chapter three! :D

maggie: Thank you so much! It's fun to write, and even nice when I realize ppl like it!! Thank you!!!!!!

marineJAG: Look down and see!! Thank you for reading!!!

girlgunner: Thank you! I had *so* much fun writing the beginning cause I could pretty much do whatever I wanted. Now it's going to have to get a little more serious and I have to watch myself! Ah! And you shall see more Mac and Harm!!! (btw, your same review came up four times, so I just deleted the other three, but the first should still be in there). 

pendray: Yay! Thank you for reading! I hope this came in by Friday night, sometimes it skips to Saturday morning! Thank you for the support!!!

One minor note. A reviewer reminded me that I never stated what year Grace had come from. I assumed she was born somewhere around 2004. So the year she was at was 2020. Thanks, Deb!  Now, on with the story!!

Chapter 3: To Go Where No Girl Has Gone Before 

1335 ZULU

12902 Elk Lane

Georgetown, Virginia

Two thousand-two. Year...two thousand-two. Grace rolled the words around in her head, trying to make sense of them. Meanwhile, Mr. Bink eyed the bloody bump on her forehead. "You all right, kid?"  

_No, I'm not, I've gone insane._ "Yeah." Grace backed away from the Camery into the street with Mr. Bink's eyes on her the whole time. 

"You really should see a doctor, that doesn't look good."

Grace ran. To where, she didn't care. Anyplace that made sense. But deep inside, she knew such a place didn't exist anymore.  

***

1520 ZULU

CIA Headquarters

Virginia 

Grace wasn't sure why this was the first place she went to. It seemed to her that perhaps a mental hospital was the most appropriate place for her go at the moment. But she'd also been taught that if something was happening that couldn't be explained, the U.S. government probably knew what was going on.

It occurred to Grace that the CIA Headquarters didn't change one bit. As a little girl, when her father sometimes had meetings here, Grace always remembered the feeling of being extremely isolated. The people were never too friendly either. The only thing she really liked was being able to watch the fish in Clayton Webb's office. Otherwise, it was boring white walls, gray, tightly knit rugs, and stern faces. So as she was escorted down the hallway, and Grace realized that everything looked the same, it gave her a little comfort. 

 The tall Corporal that had grilled her at the entrance, knocked on the gray door displaying Webb's name. Clay's voice from inside said to come in. Grace's eyes widened and her mouth hung open for a moment before she clamped it shut.

_He actually had _hair_!_

It was Grace's first realization when the door was opened and she saw the CIA operative's head bent over his work. The Corporal stood at the door, awaiting his next orders. Webb started to lift up his head as he finished writing something. When he was done, he put the pen down and looked straight at the Corporal.

"Don't leave just yet." Webb stood and walked right over to Grace, with purpose in his stride. 

"Let's get something straight, kid," he started off, "I don't appreciate pranks. This is a place where life-changing decisions are made and national security is upheld. Now I want a good explanation of how you think you know Commander Rabb."

Grace blinked. She'd gotten to this point...now what? She'd lied her little head off to the marines at the gate, saying that she was in need of help. Then she started to ramble about things her mother told her about Clayton Webb. It had apparently been enough to get her here. 

 Grace looked over at the Corporal, who was standing perfectly at attention. "Um, does he have to be here?"

The Marine shifted his far-away gaze to Webb who shoed him away. "Stay outside the door."

Once he left, Grace bit her lip, and sat down in one of the chairs opposite the desk. Webb sat in his own chair, waiting for an explanation with a smug expression on his features.

Grace opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Everything she could say suddenly sounded stupid to her. Webb leaned forward a little, as if that would help the information come out. 

"Well?" He snapped.

Grace stirred. It was now or never. "My name is Grace Rabb, Mr. Webb, and...quite simply, my father is Admir—uhm, Commander Harmon Rabb Jr."

Webb blinked, and his whole body was still. When Grace didn't say anything else, he leaned back in the seat and stared at the fish tank against the wall. "And I thought I knew all the secrets about that guy." He murmured. 

Grace fiddled with a loose string of the jean jacket she was still wearing. "Um, well, this is kind of the hard part to understand."

Webb shifted his gaze back to her. "I—," Grace stopped, it still sounded so ridiculous to her, "something's happened to me," she took another moment to form the words in her head, "something...quite unbelievable, actually. You see, my mother is Colonel Sarah Mackenzie—"

Webb choked on his coffee and stood to wipe the spilled drink off his expensive suit. As he did this, he then started to laugh. "Nice try, kid. But since you obviously didn't do your research, you wouldn't know that the Colonel and Rabb hadn't even met since about eight years ago."

Grace closed her eyes in frustration and finally admitted to herself that this was a stupid idea to come here. But she was too in the thick of it now to back away. "Okay, Mr. Webb, this is the _really_ hard part to understand—"

Sitting back down, he put a hand up to silent her. "Look, it was a nice try, and I don't how you know those names, and I don't really care, but—"

Webb continued to lecture her, but Grace didn't listen. She went through the memories in her head searching for something her parents told her about Webb. Something she could use. When it hit her, Grace started in the chair and pointed at Webb.

"You arranged the theft of the Declaration of Independence seven years ago!" Feeling a surge of satisfaction, Grace leaned back in the chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and grinned. Meanwhile, Webb had gone frozen again and the gears in his brain seemed to stop. 

"Who the hell do you work for?" He said weakly.

Grace laughed. "I'm sixteen, Webb. I don't work for anybody. I know about the theft, because my parents told me. Well, they were discussing it, and I just overheard."

Webb stood and backed away behind his chair. While staring at Grace, he fumbled with the drawer next to him and took out a small handgun. Grace's expression sank and she stood slowly. 

"Listen to me a minute, Webb. This is going to sound crazy, but..." Grace fought with her words again, but decided to come right out and say it, "...I'm from the future."

That was the icing on the cake, and Grace swore if Webb's eyes got any bigger they'd pop right out of his head. 

"Who are you?" He said it more as a statement than a question, because the answer seemed to scare him. 

Grace sighed. "I told you, my name is Grace Rabb and Harmon Rabb and Sarah Mackenzie are my parents. Now I'm not sure how I got here, but I am here and I need somebody's help!"

Webb started to calm down a little bit as he lowered the weapon, but his face was still twisted with anxiety. "Prove it."

"Prove it? I just said that you staged the theft of—"

"Shh!"

Grace lowered her voice. "Look, I can tell you anything you want, so just ask me!"

Webb thought about that for a moment as he sat back down, still holding the gun. "What else do you know about the...theft?"

"Not much, just that you staged it, and my father once used that information to blackmail you into getting information for _him_ when a prison escapee took the Admiral, Bud Roberts, and my mother hostage—"

Webb put up a hand. "Stop...stop. Just...let me think for a minute because as of this moment, you are a threat to national security."

A sick feeling formed in the pit of Grace's stomach. Webb wouldn't be able to help her. Why did she think he could? She had to get out of here now. As Webb mumbled to himself, Grace stood and backed away to the door. He noticed her movement and whipped up his head. 

"Where do you think you're going?"

Grace put her hand on the doorknob. "I won't say anything, Mr. Webb. I promise. But I have to leave."

"_You_ are not going _anywhere_." He said as he stood and pointed at her. He then reached down for his phone, dialing an extension. "This is Webb, send a security detail up—" 

 Turning the doorknob, Grace pulled the door open and slipped out to come face to face with the Corporal. He crossed his arms and glared down at her. Not a second later, Webb's door swung open and two marines emerged from an elevator at the end of the corridor. 

"Take her to confinement, now. I don't want her off the premises—"

"Am I interrupting something, Webb...I thought we had an appointment..." 

Grace felt her knees go weak at the familiar voice, but when she turned to run into her father's arms, she saw someone quite different. At that moment, it felt like Grace's insides were being twisted in different directions. She knew this man, but she didn't. She also didn't care and she wrenched herself away from the Marine's grasp and ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. He stood rigidly at first, his arms hanging limply to his sides, but Grace just buried her face into the familiar uniform. Eventually, she felt his hand pat her on the back. But there was no fatherly love to it. This man didn't know her, but Grace didn't care. She knew _him._

 The corridor was silent and all that could be heard were Grace's soft sobs. 

***

Webb paced his office, stopping at certain points, and then moving again. It was starting to get on Harm's nerves. 

"Would you just sit down, Webb, you're makin' me dizzy."

He complied, but then started to tap his fingers on the desk. "I just want to know exactly how she got that information." Webb said gravely.

Harm leaned forward in the chair. "Did she give you any explanation?"

Webb glanced over at the attorney, and started to tap his fingers faster. "Yeah, but you wouldn't believe me if I told you." He muttered.

"It doesn't matter if I believe it, Webb," Harm said as he ran his fingers over the gold fabric on the cover in his hands, "It matters if _she_ does." 

He stopped tapping his fingers and leaned back in the chair. "She thinks she's from the future." Webb replied mockingly. 

Harm bit his lip and sighed. "Well, we don't have to rule out insanity." After a moments pause, Harm continued, "I want to see her. She might be more comfortable talking to me."

Webb scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Right, because she thinks you're her father."

Harm shrugged. "Like I said, the only thing that matters is what she believes."

Harm took Webb's silence as a yes and stood to go to the door.

"You know what scares me the most, Rabb?" Webb asked as Harm opened the door.

"What?"

"That fact that she looks a lot like you and Mac."

***

Harm observed the interrogation from the other side of the one-way mirror. The CIA agent, Special Agent Laux, wasn't getting anywhere. The girl just wouldn't talk. Harm knocked on the glass, and Laux all but jumped up and swiftly strode out of the interrogation room. 

"Who are you?" He was a spry, little man who was considerably shorter than him, and Harm had to look down to speak to him. He was young, in his early thirties, but with the confidence in his voice, he had obviously been part of the agency for a while. Perhaps it was even a family business. 

"I'm Commander Harmon Rabb with the JAG Corps." He said as he extended his hand. They shook hands as the agent introduced himself. 

"Special Agent Paul Laux. You're the guy Grace believes she's..." Laux let his voice trail off as if finishing the sentence would make Harm uneasy. In a way, Harm was grateful. The whole situation made him a little uneasy. 

"You think you'll have better luck with her?" Laux asked as he nodded at the girl, who had come up to the glass and tapped it softly and then backed away. 

Harm studied her features. It was uncanny to see those big brown eyes, staring out blankly. It _was_ like looking at Mac. Harm nodded. "Yeah, maybe."

Harm opened the heavy metal door and stepped into the room. The girl was still at the one-way mirror, studying her reflection. She gingerly touched the bump on her head, which had been cleaned up when she was brought to the infirmary. She didn't even seem to notice him until she saw his reflection in the mirror. She turned around and crossed her slender arms over her chest. 

 The expression she now wore wasn't like the one she'd displayed when she first saw him. When she ran to him and hugged him (and refused to let go until the marines dragged her away), it had been an expression of desperation and a craving for some kind of affection. Now her face was...almost hateful. Though it was a strong word, it wasn't too far off base. Her entire face was drawn into a frown and Harm couldn't help but feel guilty for causing it.

"Hi." He started off. Though simple, it seemed like the best way to begin the conversation. 

"I'm not talking anymore," she said sternly, "it only gets me into trouble." She murmured more to herself. 

Harm shrugged and wandered over to the metal table, placing his briefcase on it. "I suppose it can get some into trouble. But it can help too. So why don't you give it another try?" Harm gestured to the chair across from him. 

The girl hesitated, but eventually unfolded her arms and sat down. Harm sat down as well and opened his briefcase.

"Twinkie?" He held up the snack and watched as the girl's eyes widened at the sight of it. She moved to grab it, but faltered, as if waiting for permission. Harm handed it to her. Wasting no time, she ripped the plastic away and devoured the treat. The Naval officer narrowed his eyes. "When was the last time you ate?" 

She raised her eyes to the ceiling, trying to think. "Yesterday," she said after she swallowed, "we had an early dinner." 

Harm caught the girl's use of "we" and wasn't sure if she was referring to him as well. He shrugged it off.

"Grace, I know you probably don't want to answer this, but it's very important you tell me how you know some of the things you told Mr. Webb."

She wadded up the plastic wrapper, holding it tight in her fist and fixing her eyes on the metal table. "I've already told you, Dad."

Harm swore he could feel every bone in his body jolt. She called him...Dad. But the strangest thing about it was that it felt so...proper. And she had said it like it was the most normal thing in the world. Harm pretended not to be struck by it.

"You told Mr. Webb that you were from the future." Harm answered for her, trying to sound as serious as he could. 

Her tranquil expression remained. "I know no one believes me. I'm having trouble believing it myself." A smile suddenly spread across her face. Somewhere in Harm's subconscious, he knew that smile came from him. 

She kept her eyes glued to her reflection on the table. "I should have just taken them trick or treating..." 

Harm decided to let off the abstract questions. "Why don't you tell me about your family? You have any siblings?"

Grace seemed pleasantly surprised by the sudden change, and she played along. "Jake and Isabel."

Harm almost laughed, thinking about the possibility of Mac and him having three kids. Instead, he just smiled. "You fight with them?".

"Sometimes. Just simple sibling rivalry. But you'd know about that, with Uncle Sergei and all."

Harm's breath caught in his throat. For being a prankster, as Webb had suggested, she was doing a damn fine job of hiding it.

"Uncle Sergei?"

She began to fiddle with a loose string from her oversized jean jacket. "Grandma always used to say that the two of you reminded her a lot of Grandpa—"

Harm stopped taking notes, and a shiver ran up his spine. "What do you know about my father?"

Her expression was of pure innocence, and she looked at him as if she felt bad for him. "His Tomcat went down over Vietnam when you were five. He was an MIA. Then sometime later on, I think in the early eighties, he was transported to Russia, and a peasant woman took him in. Years later, he was killed trying to save her from drunken soldiers. When you and Mom went to look for him a few years ago, that's when you discovered he'd died. He was buried somewhere in a forest. You also discovered your half-brother, Sergei...Uncle Sergei."

She said it so simply, like it had been explained to her several times before. Harm's mouth went dry and it felt like he was chewing on cotton. "Who told you that?"

She shook her head and shrugged as tears welled in her big, brown eyes. "You did."

Harm searched through his mind, trying to find a logical explanation. There really was only the remote possibility, that her parents, or someone she knew, had connections, and that there was a leak in the system. And a good dozen or so people knew what happened to his father. But where was the motive? What did she want? Who did she work for? These were the questions Webb had told him to ask. But as Harm looked into her eyes, he only saw the innocent child she claimed to be. 

"Grace, the doctors are going to give you some medicine to help you sleep." Harm said out of the blue, his voice hollow. 

She suddenly leaned forward, those innocent eyes now filled with anxiety. What was she afraid of?

"With needles?" She asked, her voice shaky.

Harm made a half smile. "No, with pills."

She swallowed. "So...no needles?"

Harm smiled as he stood and he patted her hand. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

Grace took his hand before he turned away. "I want to see my mother." 

It took Harm a second to remember she meant Mac. "We'll see. Get some rest."

***

1930 ZULU

Grace counted the ceiling tiles to try and ignore the pain in her head. They given her the pills, but Grace had tucked them under her tongue, and the doctor didn't bother to check. So now she held the two tiny capsules tightly in her palm.  

At the moment, she was in her cell, a simple eight by eight room with depressing cement walls, a small metal table, a big mirror on one side of the wall, and a cot in a corner. She lied on her back on the single, lumpy mattress with a hand up pointing to each tiny tile.

...343...344...345...

She sneezed. After blinking for a moment, Grace sighed and started yet again. Grace imagined they made the ceiling this way for the prisoners being kept here. So many tiny squares, aching to be counted. 

_1...2...3...4..._

If there was ever a time for Grace to feel bad for herself, this was it. What was she supposed to do now? She'd been here for six hours and everyone had already poked, prodded and all but stamped the word "insane" on her forehead. But how could she blame them? She felt a pang in her stomach remembering what she and her father had discussed. How the color drained from his face as she described his past. Grace wanted to ram her head into a wall for being so stupid. Just what did she think she'd gain by coming here? Did she expect some kind of explanation? A simple answer to her problems? Yes. She did. But it was clear the government didn't have one.

_...17...18...19...20..._

To Grace's surprise, her father didn't seem that different. He was friendly, which she knew was something that could never have changed, but down-to-business...which _definitely _didn't change. Where was the side of him that he hardly ever talked about? The exciting, daring stories that Grace usually only heard from her mother? Grace recalled a time in eighth grade when they were studying the Vietnam War. For extra credit, students could set up interviews with anyone who was involved, veterans and such. Grace of course knew she could slam-dunk the essay with her father's comments. When she approached him, he was hesitant, but agreed. But only after a couple questions, her father stood up and walked out of the room. Utterly confused, Grace went to mother for an explanation. All her mother told her was that he probably just didn't want to expose her to what he had seen. Since then, he'd treated her like she was some frail gem, and it drove her crazy. But when he didn't allow her to go to the party, Grace drew the line there. She wasn't going to let _his_ fears control her life. 

...52...53...54...55...

That's when her thoughts drifted back to two nights ago at the dinner table. Would she be stuck here forever? Would she never being able to go back and say sorry to her father? And she knew he deserved an apology. She acted rashly and unfairly by digging up old memories of a place she knew her father wanted to forget, and then using them against him. And all along, he was right. She felt small and young at that party. She'd tried the beer, but saw no glamour in it. It smelled disgusting, left a funny after-taste, and gave her a headache after a few sips. Clay had teased her about it, but she knew he felt the same way she did about the party. And why did she even feel the need to impress Ben? What was in it for her? A chance to hang with his clique? Perhaps even a date? Last night, the answers seemed so obvious. If Ben wanted her jump, she'd ask how high. But now, it felt so meaningless. She didn't care about Ben or being in a popular group. She cared about going home. 

_...89...90...91...92..._

***

1940 ZULU

"This is no place for her, and you know it, Webb." 

Harm and Clay stood outside Grace's cell. Harm watched her through the one-way mirror.

Webb leaned a shoulder against the cement wall, casting a worried glace to Harm. "What are you talking about? She _knows_ things, Harm. _Classified_ information! Whoever she works for will be sorry they hired her."

Harm scowled. "She's a kid, Webb, she doesn't_ work_ for anybody!" 

"How do we know that? Since 9-11, security has been beefed up to an insane point, which only makes the spies more desperate! They'll use any tactics to get what they need—"

"Let her stay with me." Harm said exasperatedly.  

Webb shook his head, not believing what he was hearing. "_What?_"

"Let her stay with me, I'll keep an eye on her, makes sure she doesn't talk and _if...if_ she's working for someone, she'll be safe."

The operative still seemed confused. "So, what, you're going to be her bodyguard or something?"

Harm shrugged. "And besides, I think we both know she's not going to tell you anything in this place." 

The CIA operative shook his head at Harm's stubbornness. "Have you ever even _lived_ with a teenage girl?"

Harm's brow creased. "...No...but she's just a kid, how bad can it be?"

Webb bit his lip, his eyes darting back and forth from Harm to Grace. "I've heard it's not easy. 

"What's not easy?" 

The two of them straightened as Mac closed the door behind her and walked up to them. "What's this about, Harm? You paged me during a cross-examination. I had to tell the judge it was an emergency." 

Harm pointed to the girl on the other side of the glass. Mac narrowed her eyes as she looked in on her. "Who's that?"

The former aviator smirked. "Our daughter."

Mac shot her partner a look that made his skin tingle. "It—it was a joke."

Making a theatrical sigh, Webb started to unfold the story to the marine. 

***

1950 ZULU ...Harry...Lily...Steve...Gina... 

After counting the squares (all 1080) twice, she found herself naming them. Grace had already thought of everyone in her immediate, and extended family, so she then tried to think of famous saints, popes, presidents, vice presidents and composers. Now she just chose random names.

...Carrie...Penny...Aaron...Josephine—

Grace's body jolted when the door was unlatched from the other side and opened. She shot up in the cot, feeling the muscles in her back strain since she'd been in the same position for so long. She didn't have to see to know who it was. The smell of the familiar perfume entered her nostrils and memories flashed before her. Times when she was little, listening to her mother hum to her softly and stroke her hair as she held her close. A breeze would pour through the window, blowing that sweet scent around the room that almost made Grace dizzy with delight. Other times, a storm would wake her, and she'd find herself huddled next to her mother in her parent's bed. She would concentrate on her mother's breathing and try to match it. Then she'd inhale deeply so she could breathe in that mixture of wildflowers and fresh air, and she would be able to ignore the frightening thunder booms and fall asleep. All those years of motherly comfort and love made Grace forget where she was and what was going on around her. All she could see were autumn leaves, all she could hear was the soft giggles of mother and daughter, and all she could smell was that delicate, sweet scent. But when Grace opened her eyes, the gray walls, tile floor, and hundreds of dull, little squares greeted her. But there she was, standing in the middle of room, her eyes wandering over this strange girl. 

 Over the years, middle age had crept up on her mother and fines lines could be seen in her face, but there was still evidence to support the fact that she'd been a very beautiful woman. And the evidence stood right in front of her. It was strange at first to see her mother in that uniform. Supposedly, her mother had retired a few years after she was born. So Grace had only been accustomed to her wearing civilian attire. The uniform made her look strict and it displayed her in a no-nonsense manner. To prove this, she stepped up to Grace and held out her hand to be shaken. Grace stared down at it for a moment, but eventually extended her own hand. 

"Hello, Grace. I've heard a lot about you." Her voice was different, with her tone being clipped and cool.

Grace slid off the cot and crossed her arms. "And I know all about you." She said defiantly, just to make her point, but suddenly feeling strange to be talking to her mother like this. 

A moment later, Dad—or "Harm" as he'd asked her to call him—stepped into the room and stood next her mother. Grace couldn't help but smile. If her father were in dress whites, and her mother in a white gown, they'd look just like their wedding picture. The image disappeared as Webb came in too, standing next to her mom. Grace narrowed her eyes. She'd heard a rumor that Clay had wanted her mother at one time. 

"You're being...transferred." Webb said with a sigh.

Grace felt a lump form in her throat. Transferred? Where would they move her to? A mental facility? 

"You're being placed under my care." Harm said this with a pause in between, as if he'd rehearsed the line over and over, but still couldn't say it right because he was nervous or something.

Grace cocked and eyebrow. "You mean I'm going to live with you?" It wasn't like she'd be uncomfortable with it, she'd lived with him for sixteen years, but it still surprised her. Why not just keep her here?

"Grace, we know there are things you're not telling us. But we have a theory. We believe you're running from someone. An employer, perhaps."  

That was a good idea. Why didn't she think of it before? She, Grace, was a kid who got mixed up with bad people who wanted her to get them information. Feeling she was in danger, she decided to break away and run to the very people she was stealing information from. Then, in a desperate attempt to prove her innocence, she made up a preposterous story about being from the future. Grace had to smile, these people were good. They'd given her a net to fall on. 

 Remembering her drama classes, Grace stiffened her back and stuck up her chin. The CIA had created her now, and she had to play along. 

***

TBC

***

Not too much info in this chapter. I'm just trying to form a foundation to work with and it ended up taking up a lotta space! More stuff will be happening in the next chapter! And sorry this took longer, I had the chapter written up Friday, but then discovered a few things didn't make sense, so I switched stuff around and re-wrote some things too. Hope it came out all right! Expect the next chappy by next week! Thanks!

~sancti


	4. Rock & Roll

Thank you sOoOoOoOoOoOo much for your reviews!!!!! And look! I'm a day early!!!

Pissed Off Poet: You know, poet, I had that idea originally in the third chapter. But I thought it would move it too fast. I've worked that into this chapter though. Thank you for coming back!!! 

Pennithil: Thank you for the advice! I've been doing some thinking about how I could have this affect the future, but I've also thought...why change the future at all? What I sort of had in mind was to let Grace discover what life was like for her parents when they were young. But I don't really want her intervention to mess with the timeline. So when I think when Grace is eventually sent back, I'd like her life to be at the point where it left off...it's hard to explain, but I see this traveling back in time bit as a place in a different realm. Oh, my, I'm rambling trying to explain it. You'll see later on. Thank you for coming back!

Katherine: Thank you for such wonderful input. I had originally had a scene with Grace getting her blood drawn (the bit about Grace fearing needles was part of the original "script"), and then I thought it would be too much too fast. See, I try to picture what the JAG characters reactions would be to all this, and we know they would think the idea of a strange girl from the future to be preposterous. So, unless they actually believed Grace to be the daughter of Harm and Mac, why would they take blood at all? Wouldn't they see it as a waste of time since time travel would be considered impossible? Do not worry though; I've been saving the blood test for this chapter. Thank you again!!

Mia: Ah! You're lucky number 60 on the review list! ;) *does happy dance* THANK YOU MIA!!! Lol, it's like you're reading my mind! Yes, I do plan on her meetin' the gang at the office and adding in stuff like, "something's oddly familiar about that girl" or somethin' like that. Thank you so much for coming back!

ArwenUndomiel: LoL, yes, 'tis a crazy story!!! But don't worry, it'll slow down a little and start to make more sense in this chapter!!! Ah! And get some sleep!!!

sunchaser2: Outstanding?? Really??? Thank you!!!!!!!!!

pendray: Ahh, the core of the story I think is going to be spread out through a couple chapters, so yes....we've entered...THE CORE....lol, it sounds funny.............*cough*...yeah, anywho.....thank you so much for coming back, and I do realize this chapter was a little strange. Actually a lot of the stuff in this chapter was switched around and re-written, and I don't think it came out _quite _right, but hopefully good enough. Thank you!

SarahRabb705: Funny scenes?? Really?? I'll hafta read it again. Okay, well, with school, I should be able to get this out by Friday! Thank you so much for reading!

JagSister: Hey, thanks! I'm fairly certain I have the ending all sketched out, so now it's mostly all the fun stuff in between. Thank you so much for such nice comments!

emokid: LoL, thank you so much! It's been a lot of fun to write, and I had no idea so many people would like it! Thank you again for your continuing support! Oh, and I'm going to try and get new chapters out every Friday night or Saturday.

frances: Thank, fran! I've been having a blast writing it! Oh, and I'm gonna try to schedule this and say there should be a new chapter every Friday or Saturday. Thanks again!!!!

kiwi: LoL, happy dances and fun dances are cool!!! :D So glad you're likin' it cause I'm just havin' a blast writing it. Thank you!!!!!!

DD2: Ahh, do not worry! Where did you go on vacation? Did you have a good time? Thank you so much for such wonderful comments!

maggie: Wow! Thank you!! I can't wait to *write* the next chapter, there are just so many little things I can do with this. Ah! You're lucky number 70 on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU MAGGIE!!!

jagchick105: oh, jag, I have to say, I've been trying hard just to be as good of a writer as you! I have great respect for your style and I only hope I'll some day reach that height. Thank you so much again, you and the others almost make me cry with all your motivating, nice comments. Thank you. 

annebd: Oh, thank you. I'm addicted to proofreading stuff and I get *so* irritated after I've posted a chapter, but then still see a typo. Thank you for noticing though. Btw, I didn't see that you updated "Who's Baby" until I checked out ur profile and saw there was a third chapter, so I just read and reviewed. *salutes* You're doing an incredible job.

Emma15: Yay! Thank you! I'm glad you're likin' it! I try to update every Friday or Saturday. So expect the next installment by the end of the week!

Chloe1: LoL, when I was contemplating how the third chapter would run, and how it would affect the chapters ahead, I thought...what would put Harm in an unpredictable situation....and it just seemed the fit. Lots of laughs ahead because I couldn't resist torturing our favorite guy ;) Thank you so much for coming back!!

marineJAG: Thank you! I love writing it! I'm determined to have some sort of schedule and I'd like to get new chapters out every Friday or Saturday. So expect the next installment by the end of the week! Thank you so much for reviewing!!!!

Mimmi: Yay! I love that you love it!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!

Hazel: LoL, well, Webb does seem to have that problem with a receding hairline...but don't worry. I don't think we'll be seeing the older Webb in the story. Thank you so much for coming back!!! 

pop1013: Ah! You shall see soon!!!! Don't worry, I'm addicted to _writing_ it! And I'm gonna have so much fun writing all the interactions between the JAG gang and Grace! Thank you for reading!!! 

CharmedMummy: Welcome back! Heehee, wellllll, this chapter is going stir a few things up. And the ending of the story (still some time away) is going to be a little unorthodox. But I have it clear in my mind...but I'm not sayin' just yet!!!! LoL, I had so much fun writing this chapter and the interactions between Grace and the JAG gang. Hope ya like it! Thank you so much for coming back!!!

Lisa Brown: Oh, I'm glad you stayed! I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into when I started writing this, but I'm having a whole lot of fun. Thank you so much for reading! I'm going to make a schedule and new chapters will be up about every Friday. Thanks again! Ah! And you're lucky number 80 on the review list!!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, LISA!!!!!

ICABOT: Thank you! I'm having a blast writing is! My updates are usually every Friday and Saturday! Thanks again!

NadaZimri: Hey there, ol' buddy ol' pal (wink wink, nudge, nudge, har, har :D). Glad you think it's all great!!! Ah! Be patient, good friend! The ending you shall have!!! (btw, was there enough chicken for everyone??? *snicker)!

Deb: *grins manically* you shall see in the chapter!!!!! Thank you so much for coming back and for reading, Debbie!!!   

AN: Just a quick note. I'm going to try and be all organized about this, so I'm making it official that new updates should come up every Friday night (EST). Because I'll try and post the new chapter in the morning, but it'll probably take all day before it actually shows up. Thanks, ya'll!

~sancti    

Chapter 4: Rock and Roll 

0030 ZULU

Washington, D.C.

Grace sat slouched in the bucket seat of the Corvette with her arms crossed over her chest. She felt her father's sidelong glance every once and while as he drove. When they'd left CIA Headquarters, Harm had tried to make small talk, but he was having trouble deciding what to say. And Grace was fine with that. She wasn't exactly in the mood for talking. But the silence was agonizing as well, and the nervousness in the air was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Finally growing restless, Grace let her eyes wander to the radio and she studied all the different dials. Seeing one she liked, Grace turned it and the old group Creed filled the car with guitar distortion as they entered into a solo. Harm immediately turned it down so the song could be barely heard. Grace's brow creased and she turned it back up. Harm gave her a look that said "Just what do you think you're doing?" and lowered the volume again. With a scowl, Grace turned it off and huffed a sigh as she slumped into the seat again. In her peripheral vision, Grace could see her father shaking his head. One thing she had to accept, was the fact that some things _never_ changed. 

 The car slowed as it came to a long line of cars stopped at a red light. Finally getting bored from the silence, Grace decided to speak up.

"So do I get to go to the office, tomorrow?" 

Harm kept his gaze straight ahead, studying the bumper stickers on the van in front of them. "I'll bring you in and then explain the situation to Admiral Chegwidden—he's the JAG."

Grace nodded. "I know who he is."    

Harm tapped the steering wheel and kept his gazed glued to those bumper stickers. "I'm there pretty much all day and you'll probably be bored to death—"

"I can do filing."

Harm finally took his eyes off the car in front of them and looked over at Grace. "Don't expect to be paid." 

Grace shrugged. "You never paid me anyway. You called it a 'family contribution.' " She said mockingly making her fingers into quotation marks.

Harm chuckled, but closed the smile when she gave him a nasty expression. "Sorry."

The light turned, and the bright green reflected off the cars as they all moved slowly forward.

***

0050 ZULU

Harm's Apartment

North of Union Station, Washington, D.C

Harm unlocked the door and pushed it open, letting Grace go in. She hesitated at first but walked into the darkness. Harm reached for the switch and light flooded over the apartment. Grace squinted her eyes, but then took in all that was around her with great interest. It was like walking into one of those exhibits where they build a street or room and try to recreate it for a certain time period. Almost of all these objects she recognized because they had been locked away in the attic covered with dust. Grace remembered being little and going up there to fiddle with all the different things. 

 She suddenly spotted the stereo system. Compared to what they had in her time, this machine was ancient. Grace swept her hand over all the dials and buttons, feeling the coolness under her fingers. Harm glanced up from the kitchen and stopped flipping through the mail. 

"Don't even think about it." He said wryly.

Grace snapped her hand away and walked across the room to the little silver television that the CIA had apparently provided for her father a while ago. Grace smiled. When she was about eight, her dad let her have it. Instead of trying to get it to work, Grace just wanted to see what it looked like on the inside. So she got his tools and completely took the little TV apart. By the time she was done, there were television parts and wires all over her room. She was never able to put it back together. 

Grace brushed her hand over the leather chair near the desk. She was also given this chair and it rested in her room, covered with magazines and the old CD's that Grace collected. Grace almost told herself that it was like walking back in time, and it took her a second to remember she _was_ walking back in time. She involuntarily shuddered. 

"That sofa is a pull-out bed. I can sleep there and you can have the master bed."

Grace sat on the sofa, testing it out. "It's fine, I can sleep here."

Harm stacked the mail into a pile of papers on the counter. "You sure?"

She nodded.

"Okay, I'll get the sheets—"

The door made a loud buzz making Grace shoot up at the sound. "What's that?"

Her father cocked an eyebrow. "It's the buzzer...someone's at the door."

Grace relaxed slightly, but was still a little apprehensive. Who would be here at almost eight o'clock at night? Harm looked through the peephole and then opened the door. Grace's mother strode into the apartment carrying three big bags with her. Once she spotted Grace, the marine walked up to her and all but dropped the bags onto the couch because of their weight. Her mom sighed and smiled at Grace's puzzled look. Harm closed the door and walked over to the girls.

"What's all this?" He asked slowly.

Mac dug through the bags, stacking different clothes in Grace's arms. "I went shopping for you." 

Grace marveled over all the things her mother had bought her as the stack grew higher and heavier. Mac continued to hold up certain clothes, displaying them for a moment, and then putting them back in the bag.  

Harm rolled his eyes as Grace squealed when Mac held up a pair of leather boots, and walked away, leaving the two girls with the piles of clothes.

***

They all stared down at her, their eyes wide and anxious. Grace stared back and blinked. There they were. Mom, Dad, Jake and Isabel...all standing over the hospital bed. 

What happened? 

Grace tried to say it, but no sound came out of her lungs. Suddenly, Dad shook his head.

"No, Doctor. This isn't our daughter."

Mom started to cry and buried her face in her husband's chest. Jake and Isabel simply stared, but Isabel held up a fake rubber rat and twirled around by the tail.

What do you mean I'm not your daughter? It's me! It's me, Grace! 

Grace kept opening her mouth, and she felt her tongue work to form the words, but still no sound came out. Grace tried to sit up, but her wrists were fastened to the bed. With her mother crying, and her father shaking his head, they all turned around and left.

Wait! Come back! It's me! 

Grace shook and her eyelids snapped open. Her eyes met the arm of the leather couch and then as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, the rest of the living room formed a shape. Grace moistened her dry lips and put a hand over her chest, feeling her heart thumping rapidly. All of her senses began to work again, and Grace winced as the tag on the inside of the new pajama tank top scraped at her side. She sighed, remembering that she'd planned to cut it off before she went to bed. Tossing the covers off, Grace swung her legs to the wooden floor, feeling its cold surface beneath her toes. After running a hand through her brown hair to get it out of her face, she groggily went over to the kitchen, in search for the scissors. 

 It didn't take long for her to notice the light in the bedroom. She could see her father's figure, distorted by the vertical blinds that separated the bedroom from the rest of the apartment. He was sitting up in the bed near the end table on the left with the lamp on it. Doing what, she didn't know. Suddenly getting a chill, Grace went back for her duster-sweater. Then she stepped silently towards the bedroom and up the two steps. 

He had her back to her and his head down. Grace couldn't make out what he had in his hand, but he didn't move, and he kept his torso bent forward. Grace shifted her weight to her other foot, which made the floor creak. He whipped around, surprised at first, but then his frame relaxed. 

"Sorry, did I wake you?" His voice didn't sound right. It was strained and hollow. But perhaps that was because it was two o'clock in the morning. 

Grace shook her head. "No, I woke up from a dream, then I saw the light on."

He kept staring at her, his brow furrowed.

"What?" 

Harm blinked a few times. "I was just thinking how much you look like Mac."

Grace could have sworn she felt her heart skip a beat. Would he actually believe her? She stared down at her feet, looking at the shiny silver paint on all her toenails. Gaining her composure, Grace stepped into the room a bit more, trying to see what he had in his hands. Harm realized what she was trying to do and stood, tossing the photograph on the bed. It landed upside down and Grace stopped a moment, but eventually reached down and turned the photo over. She gasped. She had completely forgotten she had it with her! Picking up the photo, she held it in front of her with both hands, studying the faces on the paper. 

"You must have searched my wallet." She murmured. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him nod. "If that was digitally enhanced, someone did a very good job." 

Grace smiled at her father's stubbornness to accept the truth. This wasn't a fake. It was a formal photograph containing Grace, her siblings, and her parents. Grace realized it was taken a year ago, because Isabel's two front teeth had fallen out. But she didn't care and displayed a wide, toothy grin. The dark green background brought out the fiery red hair that had somehow slipped into Jake's genetic code. Jake was also still wearing glasses, because he wasn't old enough yet for the laser surgery to correct his vision. Grace didn't like her part of the picture. She thought she looked tired because her normally big chocolate eyes were half closed, and her smile was faint. Her mother had been disappointed that she hadn't let loose and displayed that big, beautiful smile she'd inherited from her father. And then there were her parents, standing behind the three kids, who simply grinned, proud of their little family. All in all, anyone who saw the photo would think these people were the happiest in the world. 

Grace felt her father's eyes on her, and she looked up. She expected to see that confused expression. He swallowed and sat back down on the edge of the bed. 

"What are their names again?" He asked after he cleared his throat. Grace sat down next to him and pointed at her brother. 

"That's Jake. He's eleven now. And that's Isabel. She's eight." 

The whole time, he had a hand over his eyes, obviously trying to steady his breathing. "And you're..."

"I turned sixteen in September...the 28th."

Her dad sighed, letting the air out slowly through his nose. "So you're really from..."

Grace knew it was hard for him to say, so she didn't specify it by speaking the word. "Yes, I am."

After a moment of silence, he suddenly shot up, ran to the bathroom, and retched. 

***

1310 ZULU

Grace pushed the cereal around in her bowl, watching the cheerios jump to the surface of the milk despite how many times she drove them to the bottom with her spoon. 

Her father emerged from the bedroom, tying his tie and placing his suit jacket over the chair at the table. After what happened early that morning, her father hadn't spoken much. Grace understood that he was probably embarrassed by his actions. After he'd violently lost his dinner, he seemed to go into denial. He'd told her to take the picture away and go back to bed. 

 He'd woken her up early because they had to leave the house at 0830. They now had twenty minutes. He drained his coffee at the counter and put the cup in the sink, then whipped around, leafing through the papers in his briefcase. After checking to make sure everything was there, he clicked it shut and put it at the door. He then disappeared back into the bedroom. Grace had watched him carefully, recognizing the same movements. One thing was for sure, he hadn't changed his morning schedule one bit.

Grace put the empty bowl and spoon in the sink and then went over to the couch. Her new backpack sat on the un-made bed and Grace considered carefully what to bring with her. Though she wasn't planning on just sitting around all day, she did want to be prepared if there was nothing for her to do. Wandering over to her father's desk, Grace spotted a thick book about Naval history. She might have been happier if she had a magazine to browse through, but her choices were limited. Grace grabbed the book and shoved it into the bag. 

***

1350 ZULU

Washington, D.C.

The Corvette inched forward down the Beltway. Cars surrounded them on all sides and Harm kept checking his watch, knowing he would be late. 

"_Quite an accident southbound on the Beltway, cars are backed up for a couple of miles. So if you're headed toward Virginia, take some back roads, because the Beltway is a parking lot—_"

Harm shut the radio off in frustration. Grace watched him, hugging the backpack to her chest. 

"Are you mad?" She asked, though she already knew the answer. 

Harm closed his eyes for a moment until a car behind them honked from impatience since the car in front of them had moved up a few feet. 

"Well, considering it took you thirty-minutes just to decide what to wear, and now there's this goddamn accident, and now I'm going to be late—" Harm stopped when he felt his anger increasing to a breaking point. "No, I'm all right."

Silence.

"Well...I'm sure the Admiral will understand. You can't be blamed for traffic."

Harm slowly shifted his gaze to Grace. "Well, if we left on time, we probably would've been out of here _before_ the accident."

She narrowed her eyes. "That's speculation. We had _no_ way of knowing there was going to be an accident."

Harm rolled his eyes and the smallest of a smile curved his features. "What do you know...Mini Mac." 

***

1447 ZULU

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Admiral Chegwidden took off his spectacles, placing them in the middle of the folder on his desk. He then eyed the Commander, as if expecting him to laugh and say, "Just a joke, sir." But his face was quite serious.

"So let me get this straight...this girl, Grace, waltzed into CIA Headquarters, started rambling about classified information, and now she _lives_ with you?"

Harm had carefully left out the part about her possibly being genetically linked to him and her claims of being from the future. 

"Yes, sir. The CIA thinks, judging by her appearance, that she does belong to someone. I've promised to keep an eye on missing child reports while keeping her in my care."

The Admiral stood and walked over to Harm. "Commander, you do realize this girl is _not_ your responsibility."

He nodded. "I know, sir. But if I didn't take her, she'd be alone and cooped up in an eight-by-eight cell at CIA Headquarters."   

The Admiral couldn't think of a retort, so he just sighed. "She's not here, is she?"

"Uh, yes, sir, she is. She's in my office."

A.J. sat back down with one of his grumpy expressions on his features. He then hit the com button on the phone. "Tiner!" He said bitterly.

"Yes, sir?" Came the cheery response. 

"Bring the girl that's in Commander Rabb's office over here."

A pause on the other line. "A girl, sir?"

"Tiner!"

"Aye, sir!" 

A knock was heard on the Admiral's door a minute later, and Tiner opened it, letting the girl come in first. After looking at Tiner with wide eyes, she turned to the Admiral and swallowed hard, as if she was trying to contain something and if she didn't, she'd burst. She stood next to Harm and laced her hands behind he back with her spine straight. On any other day, and if A.J. had seen the two separately, he probably never would have noticed the uncanny resemblance between the two as they stood next to each other. Suddenly, a funny notion crossed the two-star's mind, but he waved it away. 

"So, you're Grace." A.J. finally said as he walked over to her. She sized him up and then gave the Commander a sidelong glance.

"Yes, sir."

"The Commander says you're going to be staying with him for a while."

"Uh-huh."

"How long?"

Grace shrugged. "Not sure, sir. But I plan on making myself useful. If there's anything in the office I can do, I'd be happy to help."

Even with the little interaction A.J. had had with teenagers, he was still fairly certain their behavior was different than this. His goddaughter was completely different. She had that "attitude." It was the kind of attitude that whenever you tried to talk to her, you couldn't help but always feel you were wrong and didn't know anything. That irritated the hell out of him. But this particular young woman seemed to understand that the adult was usually wiser than the child. This softened the Admiral a bit.  

"Oh, and just what do you plan to do around here?"

"Filing. It's something simple, but it needs to be done."

"That's certainly true, but you need to remember, this is working environment where the people are responsible and mature—"

The buzzer on the Admiral's phone went off. "What?"

"Sorry, sir, but Miss Cavanaugh is on the line and wants to know where you bought her those, and I quote, 'beautiful pink roses that match my bed—"

"Fine, Tiner! Tell her I'll call her back."

The girl lowered her head to hide a smile. "You were saying, Admiral?" 

***

1830 ZULU

Grace stared at the open drawer in the filing cabinet, and flipped through the "B" files. She started to shove the file in between the others, when she noticed the last name was "Griffin." She shook her head. Her mind was swimming with the day's events. Seeing the Admiral that morning was enough to shock her. Grace had to wonder if that man _ever_ had hair. Otherwise, he was virtually the same. Throughout her life, A.J. was like a grandfather to her, simply because she had no other, and he was the right age. However, the ailments of aging caught up with the former SEAL, and he showed the early signs of Alzheimer's when Grace had turned fifteen. But he was holding up well, and with the modern medicine, the severe effects of the disease could be prolonged well into old age. But it still changed him in more ways than one. His short-term memory was shot, and he couldn't sit through a movie because by the end, he'd forget what it was about. He also often had trouble remembering Isabel's name. As Grace thought about all this, she realized her being here wasn't a curse. In a way, it was a blessing. She could see all the people she loved at a point when time didn't mean a whole lot to them. 

 When Grace had knocked into Bud and Harriet, she had to restrain herself from bursting to tell them they were going to be blessed with (besides the one Harriet was carrying at the moment) two more wonderful children. When Bud was promoted to Captain, he was chosen to be a judge and he loved it. Harriet resigned later on when the burdens of work simply became too much since she had four children to raise. 

 Grace hadn't seen Uncle Sturgis yet. At the moment, he was in the middle of an investigation on a carrier in the Adriatic. But she imagined him as he always was: a suit, a tie, and the rulebook in hand. But since Sturgis and Bobbi had their two children, he'd loosened up a little bit. At times, Grace even thought Sturgis was more entertaining than her own father. She suddenly felt a boil of frustration in her gut, thinking about how much her father had really become a stiff over time. But why was that? How come children seemed to loosen up Sturgis, but harden her father?  

Grace jostled the Griffin file in between the other "G" files and grabbed another folder, but jumped when a hand fell on her shoulder. Whipping around, it seemed she also frightened her mother. 

"Sorry, Grace, didn't mean to scare you." 

Grace knelt down to pick up the papers that had fallen out of the file. "It's okay. How was your meeting with the witness?"

Mac groaned as she took off her coat and hung it on the coat hanger by her door. "He wouldn't talk. Said there wasn't any way he'd 'rat out his fellow sailors.' "

Grace put the file on Mac's desk and crossed her arms. "Doesn't that mean he could be charged as an accessory to the crime then?"

Mac shrugged. "We don't have any evidence. Even if we tried to deal using that, he wouldn't get much of a punishment. What are you doing in my office, anyway?"

Grace held up the folder. "Just filing. Some were in Dad—Harm's office and I was just...putting them back." 

Mac nodded, but something else was on her mind and she closed her door. "Sit down, Grace." 

She complied, still gripping the file. Mac sat down in her own chair and leaned forward, crossing her hands on the desk. "Harm told me about the photograph." She said in a hushed voice.

Grace pursed her lips and stared down at her hands. "When?"

"This morning."

Grace twirled the ring around on her finger. "Do you believe him?"

Her mother brought her lips in, contemplating the answer. "Grace, I need you to understand something. We don't know anything about you. What Harm is doing, letting you stay with him, is just to keep you safe. But that photograph really shook him up."

Grace grunted. "He threw up."

Mac's brows drew in. "He did?"

"Yeah."

Shaking the thought away, Mac continued. "Look, I'd like to have that photograph. I know someone who specialized in digital photography and I want him to take a look at it."

Grace bent a corner of the file in her hands. "Do you want proof? Proof that I am who I say I am?"

Her mother sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Grace, that possibility doesn't _exist_."

"Yeah...that's what I used to think." She grumbled. 

"We know you're hiding something from us," Mac said, "And you can keep it locked away for as long as you want. But Harm can only take care of you for so long. So why not just stop it now?"

Grace tossed the file to the desk all but jumped to her feet. "Do a blood test! You can't get any better proof than that!"  

Mac seemed surprised by the sudden outburst and scratched her head, thinking of what to say next. "You really want to do that?"

Grace's head bobbed up and down one too many times. "If it's the only way you'll believe me..."

***

2315 ZULU

Bethesda Naval Hospital

Washington D.C.

Grace nervously bit at a nail while rapidly tapping her foot. Harm glanced over at her from behind a magazine. Mac sat on the other side of the girl and patted her hand. Grace flinched at the contact. 

 The waiting room was scarce except for a woman and her son on the other side of the room. For some reason, it made Grace uncomfortable and she suddenly stood and dashed for the restroom. Mac smiled at Harm. 

"Think she's a little nervous?"

Harm grunted but didn't look up from the magazine. "She made it clear yesterday that she had a problem with needles."

Mac's brow furrowed and she reached over to lower the magazine. Harm looked annoyed at first but his expression softened when he saw the concern on Mac's face. 

"What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Mac took a moment to gather her words. "Grace told me you had quite a...reaction to that photo."

Harm closed his eyes and sighed. Apparently, he didn't want her to know about that part. "Grace and her mouth." He mumbled and Mac realized he must have gotten to know Grace pretty well, despite only meeting her the day before. Then again, they do say you only know a person once you live with them. Mac caught herself wondering if she would notice anything different about Harm if _she_ lived with him. Like, did he have a favorite mug he drank his coffee from...did he stay up late to catch probably the only TV show he watched...what side of the bed did he sleep on—Mac stopped herself when she questioned Harm's bed. Suddenly feeling very awkward, the marine tucked a hair behind her ear and continued the conversation.   

"It must have seemed very real." Mac said somberly.

Harm closed the magazine and tossed it to the coffee table in front of them. "Mac, it was two in the morning. I'm sure if I looked at that thing again, I'd notice something was off."

The marine nodded and fixed her eyes on an odd charcoal sketch across the room. Grace finally emerged from the head and she walked timidly into the room. Her face glistened a little from the water that hadn't been dried, but she looked a little calmer. 

"Feel better?" Mac asked as the girl resumed her seat in between Mac and Harm. 

Grace shrugged and tapped the armrest at a rapid pace. 

Harm leaned over and whispered. "You know, it's really not so bad."

Grace made a kind of nervous/anxious giggle and tapped her foot as well. "Sure, having some stranger take a big piece of metal, shove it into your skin, violently pierce a vein, and just suck the blood out really isn't so bad." 

Unable to come up with a comforting reply, Harm just glanced over at Mac, who was at a loss for words as well.

***

TBC

***

Whew, okay, that was fun. Hope ya'll liked it! See ya next week!

~sancti


	5. “Whydya Hafta Go And Make Things So Comp...

Ah!! Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pissed Off Poet: Yes, that part was interesting to write, with Grace's fear of needles (also since 15 years from now, needles probably wouldn't even exist). Hehe, well, I'm still working out the kinks as far as how the 8th season will affect the story. I'm still tossing around the idea of bringing Singer into this since Grace would know about her murder. I guess you'll just have to see for yourself! Thank you for reviewing!

CharmedMummy: Heeheehee, when the results for the test get in, it's going to be quite interesting to write (I'm writing this reply when I haven't started chapter 5 yet). Jen Coates, of course, I have to put her in there too. There are just so many characters!!!!! You're right though, she was stationed at JAG during the 8th season. Thank you for reviewing!

NadaZimri: LoL, stop fussing! He's going to be in it soon, okay??!!! LoL, btw, is there any leftover chicken...I'm hungry!!! :D Thanks for reading! ;) 

Lisa Brown: LoL, really, a week is good for me to write and proofread the chapter. You want it to be spick-and-span, right? :D Ahhh, it was a lot of fun to write that part, hope ya enjoy it! Thanks for reading!

Pennithil: Heehee, look below and find out!!! :D Thank you for reading!

Chloe1: LoL, yippee! I inspired! And their reactions are gonna be interesting!!! Thank you!!!

Moltron1: Yay! Me glad you like! I hope I updated fast enough!!!!! Thanks for reading! Ah! And you're lucky number 90 on the review list!!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, MOLTRON!!! 

ArwenUndomial: Ah! And I am obsessed with writing it!! So that's a good combination! :D Oh, you better believe I've got somethin' up my sleeve, and it's ready to come out!!!! Thank you so much for reading! Ah! I'm glad you got some sleep! LoL!

sunchaser2: Yay! Another 'outstanding'!!!! Thank you!!! 

pendray: Oh, thank you! Grace is quickly becoming my most favorite character I've ever written. Thank you again for all your support!!! See ya next week!!!!

Shannon S.: Oh, the dialogue is my favorite part to write. I love imagining how they say things and then actually putting them on paper. Thank you for reading!!

mmselle: Yay! It's my pleasure! And thank you so much for reading it!!!!! I'm glad I can share my ideas with other great writers! Thanks!!

emokid: Thank you!!! "Rock and Roll" was fun to write and this chapter is similar, but is going to be a little more serious. Thanks again!

aggiegirl19: Thank you very much! Love the little face :o) ....... 8^)

Hazel: LOL, the "Bald Brothers"???? Omg, lol!!!!! Well, considering when Grace will be back in the future, I'm going to—wait, I'm not gonna tell you the ending....:D Thanks for comin' back and reading!!!!

Emma: Oh, thank you so much. Writing it has been so much fun and I love that you guys like the idea as much as I do! You shall see the next chappy November 14th! Thanks again!

marineJAG: heeheehee, you'll hafta read to find out!!!!! Ah!!! Look, you're lucky number ~*100*~ on the review list!!!!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, MARINE!!!!

beegirl: LoL, oh my, do I have ideas! And that's good! That way, you'll be surprised!!! Thank you for reading!!!

beegirl: You get two responses since you reviewed twice ;) lol, yes, Webb is such a funny, diverse character and so much fun to write about. Thank you for reading!!!

Mia: First of all...wow...I love it when ppl comment on certain aspects of the story. Thank you so much for that. Now to answer the things you said. Okay, you get exactly what I mean....yesssss!!!! I want Grace to have her questions answered about how her parents (specifically Harm) have changed. But to have her interfering with the timeline would be too much. I don't want to change the time and place where Grace came from. At the end of the story, you'll see exactly what I mean. And I'm not just saying that. I've already starting writing the last chapter so I know what I have to work up to. Clayton Webb is so fun to write about. His character is different and diverse and you can bet there's going to be more of him in here. I have a scene worked out with him and Grace in a verbal fight and her blurting out something about Junior, so I'm hoping that will be interesting. The JAG gang is so fascinating with its unique characters that making up their futures is a blast. And hey, ramble whenever you like! Thanks again! 

jagchick105: Hiya, jag. Thank you so much, it has been a lot of fun to write! LoL, when I thought...why not have Grace live with him, I just couldn't resist, because it's something Harm's never had to deal with, taking a child under his roof, especially if it's a teenager (though the events in season 9 may just change that...). So many funny, funky possibilities can come from it! And you are very welcome! You deserve it!!!! Thanks!!

maggie: Thank you! I loved writing it!!! Thanks for coming back!!!!!!

Deb: As I said, this will be updated every Friday!! Thanks for coming back and giving your support!!!!!!

AN: I'd like to take this moment to extend my great thanks to everyone who has read this. I truly believe that I wouldn't have gotten very far if it wasn't for everyone's support. It means *so* much. Thank you. And a quick shout-out to my bestest bud, Ellen (aka, NadaZimri), who reads the chapters over the phone and gives advice and support. You rock!!     

~sancti

Disclaimer: The title of this chapter was borrowed from a verse in "Complicated" written by Avril Lavigne. 

Chapter 5: "Whydya Hafta Go And Make Things So Complicated..." 

0130 ZULU

Harm's Apartment

North of Union Station, Washington D.C.

Grace pushed the food around on her plate, keeping her head down. She sat at the end of the table, and her parents were across from each other. They all ate silently. The afternoon's events were enough to keep them all quiet, especially Grace. Not only did they need two assistants to hold her down when her blood was being taken, but she'd also fainted. So they all had to spend another hour at Bethesda for the doctor to approve her discharge. Now since all of them were tired and hungry, Harm broke down and bought take-out Chinese. But no one seemed to be enjoying it. 

 Grace accidentally dropped her knife, stirring her parents in their seats. She shrugged a shoulder in silent apology and continued to eat.

"Doctor Winslow said he'll have the results by tomorrow." Harm murmured.

 Mac pretended she didn't hear him and stuck sweet-and-sour pork in her mouth. Grace clenched her jaw, deciding to ask the sixty-four thousand dollar question.

"What will happen if the results...you know..."

Mac grabbed her glass and drank. Harm put down the chopsticks and leaned back in the chair, his expression placid. After a moment, he looked her right in the eye. "I'm fairly certain what the results will be. And if I'm right...then we're going to have to figure out how to...send you back."

Grace knew he felt weird saying all this. She had to put herself in her parents' shoes. In less than twenty-four hours, they were going to be forced to believe in something radical and unexplainable. Not a good mix for lawyers. 

 Another realization hit Grace. Would they send her somewhere? Webb had remarked that she was a threat to national security. If she were considered something supernatural, would she be kept in a high security facility in the middle of some desert? Would her parents abandon her? 

Feeling she was being stared at, Grace lifted her head and took in her parents' expressions. They looked concerned.

"What?" Grace managed to say barely above a whisper.

Mac blinked when the girl spoke. "You were...mumbling."

Of course, she was talking to herself. It was a habit Grace had since she was little. She'd zone out and talk to herself without even realizing it. It concerned her parents for a while, but then they just got used to it.

"Oh...I do that sometimes...sorry."

Mac picked up her plate and put it in the sink, Harm took his and Grace's and followed her. Grace stayed at the table.

Now what...

She heard her father murmur behind her to Mac about just leaving the dishes there and that he'd get to them later. He then walked with her to the door and helped Mac with her coat. They exchanged a few words and then she gave a small wave to Grace. 

"See you tomorrow." She said, her voice hollow.

Grace just nodded. 

"I'll walk you to your car." Harm said, reaching for his jacket. 

Mac scoffed as she opened the door and stepped into the hallway. "I'm fine, thanks. 'Night."

"Good night." 

It was like watching the last few moments of someone's life. Her parents knew that by this time tomorrow, their lives would be different, and they were trying to act as calm and normal now before things were turned upside down. 

 Harm closed the door and locked it, leaving his hand on the door. Was she supposed to do something? Say something? He just stood there with his head bent down. Grace played with the edges of her napkin, trying to figure out what would happen next. Finally, he straightened his spine and walked back to the kitchen. He rolled up his sleeves and started to wash the dishes.

It was clear that if Grace wanted entertainment, she'd have to find it herself. She looked around the apartment, her eyes constantly coming back to the stereo, but this was clearly not a place for teenagers to hang out in. Grace stood and went over to the counter, standing next to her father. He stopped washing a plate and looked down at her. 

"Yes?"

Grace crossed her arms. "What do you do around here for fun, anyway?"

Harm continued to wash the plate. "You mean when I have free time?"

She understood. People like him, with a job like his, hardly ever had fun... 

"You bored?" He asked.

Grace leaned her back against the counter. "A little."

Harm turned off the faucet and dried his hands. He then looked at her curiously. "What have you been doing in school?"

Is he joking?

"Uh...chemistry...and geometry."

"You like it?"

"No, I hate it."

Harm nodded, staring at the floor.

"You're not gonna, like, make me go to school...are you?"

"Well, it would keep you busy."

Grace flopped her arms to her sides. "What happened to me being a threat to national security?"

Harm shrugged. "I trust you."

She blinked. "You do?"

"So far."

The answer scared her because it meant there was still room for mistake, on her part. She wasn't completely enclosed in the "Rabb Circle of Trust." It was a small circle, but Grace was determined to be a part of it.  

***

1530 ZULU

Fairfax High

Fairfax, Virginia

Unbelievable. 

With all the complicated, inconceivable things going on her life at the moment, Grace still had to attend a high school.

Unbelievable.

Grace sat slouched in a chair outside the principal's office. Her father had been in there for seventeen minutes now. What could they possibly be talking about? 

The door to the front office swung open and an attractive boy entered, shouldering his backpack over his brown leather jacket. He looked to be about seventeen, but it was often hard to tell with boys in high school. A pale orange Nike T-shirt rested inside the coat and over his baggy blue jeans. The secretary sighed and dropped her pen. The boy flashed an amazing smile and leaned his palms on the edge of the desk.

"Good morning, Deloris, how are you? Say, is that a new hairdo?"

 The secretary seemed less than enthused with his charms and reached out her hand. His smile disappeared and he handed her a yellow slip of paper. 

"Go sit over there," the middle-aged woman said, "Mrs. Calloway will be with you in a moment." She added dryly. 

With a sigh, the boy backed away from the desk and lowered his backpack into his hand. He then slumped down into the chair next to Grace. She tried not to look at him, but still found herself stealing glances. Finally, he turned his neck and looked over at her.

"What are you in for?"

Grace made a soft chuckle. "I'm...not, I'm enrolling...into the school."

His dark eyebrows climbed. "Ahhh, okay," he stuck out his hand, which she shook, "then let me be the first to welcome you to Hell." He said cheerily. 

Grace laughed, which seemed to please him. "I'm Eric Stiles."

"Grace...Rabb...why are you here?"

Eric shrugged. "Set the girls' bathroom on fire."

When he didn't laugh, Grace cocked an eyebrow. Eric smirked. "Gym teacher told me to do 50 pushups and I told him to stick it. So even though Mrs. Calloway is going to give me a long, boring lecture about respecting adults, I can be thankful I don't have to do those pushups."

Grace liked him in an odd way. He may have had no respect for adults, but his personality was interesting. 

"So, where were you before?" 

Grace told the truth. "Georgetown High. I had some...problems with the students, so I'm transferring here."

"Ah, okay. When are you starting?"

"Tomorrow...maybe. Depends on what happens this afternoon." Grace mumbled, and then she instantly wanted to slap herself.

Eric narrowed his eyes. "What happens this afternoon?"

She knew he was going to ask that. As a lie formed in her mind, the door to the principal's office opened and her father stepped out, and Grace stood, fortunate for the unintentional save. Eric stood as well when Mrs. Calloway curled her index finger signaling for him to come. 

Eric nodded at Harm and then lightly patted Grace's shoulder. "See ya around, Rabb." 

As Grace and her father left, she could just make out Eric saying, "Mrs. Calloway, did you lose some weight?"

***

1540 ZULU

Falls Church, Virginia

Harm gave her another sidelong glance as he drove, knowing full well that she knew he was looking at her. Finally she groaned and leaned her head back against the headrest. 

"What?"

"Who was that guy?" Harm asked with a jesting tone. 

Grace rolled her eyes. "Just a guy."

"Mmhm." 

His response seemed to bug her and she sat up in the passenger seat. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

Harm honked at the slow-moving Corolla in front of them. "It didn't mean anything...just that I observed you looking quite comfortable next to someone who was...just a guy."

Grace narrowed her eyes and scoffed. "Un—freakin'—believable." 

Harm cocked an eyebrow and chuckled. "Oh, and what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Grace balled her fists and shook her head. "You're exactly the same. You know, I always thought that somehow you majorly changed after having kids, and that you were once a completely different person who did all these amazing, dangerous things! But now...now I realize you didn't change one bit...you just got _old_!" 

With that, she huffed a sigh and slumped back down in the bucket seat, leaving her father speechless.

"I...I just asked who that guy was..."      

After a minute of silence, Grace looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry."

Harm brought the Corvette to a stop in the parking lot of JAG Headquarters, but didn't get out. "What's wrong?"

Grace stared longingly at the entrance to the building, but she knew she wasn't leaving this car until her father got the information he wanted. 

"Is this about the blood test?"

_It's _exactly_ about the blood test._ "Sort of."

Harm sighed and continued to stare at her. The ball was still in her court. "It's just—_I _ know what the results are and...I'm afraid what you and...Mac's reactions are going to be..."

Harm understood. If it turned out she _was_ his and Mac's daughter, the information would have to be traced back to Webb. And who knew what he'd do? The fact was, she was afraid of being put away. Harm met her gaze. "Grace...you are not going anywhere. I promise."

She smiled and wiped away an unwelcome tear. "You always did keep your promises...including the baby deal."

_That_ took him off guard and his mouth hung agape for a moment. "How did you know—"

She smiled again. "I'm the result."   

***

1552 ZULU

Admiral Chegwidden squinted his eyes as he listened to the Commander. "Rabb, I gave you the _morning _off simply because we're not busy. Now you want the afternoon to yourself too? Hell, why don't I just give you whole day off?"

Harm raised his eyebrows hopefully. "That...would be good too."

A.J. rolled his eyes. "That was a joke, Commander."

The Commander straightened his spine in the chair. "Of course, sir." Mac gave her partner a sidelong glance. 

The Admiral leaned forward in his chair, crossing his hands on the desk. "This wouldn't happen to be about that girl you brought in yesterday, is it?" He paused, still working out the situation in his mind, "the one who's...living with you?"

Harm nodded slightly. "Pretty much, sir." 

A.J. narrowed his eyes again, looking from one officer to the other. "You know, I can't help but think I'm being kept out of the loop of something."

Mac and Harm exchanged glances. 

"Commander...if you're hiding something..."

Mac crossed a leg and tucked a hair behind her ear. Harm sighed. "The truth is, Admiral...Grace is...the daughter of..." Mac stared at her partner with a look of sheer terror, "the daughter of...a friend." 

A.J. cocked an eyebrow and Mac leaned an elbow on the arm of the chair, fully expecting an explanation. 

"And who might this 'friend' be, Commander?" The Admiral inquired suspiciously.

"That's classified, sir. See, Grace's...um...parent...worked for the CIA. And that parent was...recently killed in action. And, apparently, in my friend's will, I'm listed as Grace's...guardian in the instance that her...parent...would...die."

Mac bit her tongue while the Admiral was hanging on every stuttered word that came out of the Commander's mouth. 

"So you lied to me." Chegwidden said flatly.

"Well...yes, sir. But Grace's situation was still very delicate at the time and only after much discussion with the CIA, was I even able to bring her home."

The Admiral made a cocky smile and leaned back in the leather seat. "So you just don't think I can keep a secret?"

Harm's eyes widened. "No, sir—I mean yes, sir—I mean—" Harm sighed, knowing full well he walked right into that one. "Sir, I'm sorry I lied...but Grace's situation kind of just...fell into my lap."

Mac stared at the floor, trying to contain her anger. The Admiral took notice and shifted his gaze to the Colonel. 

"Did you have any part in this, Colonel?"

The marine stirred in the chair and immediately sat up straight. "Uh, well, sir, I believe the Commander had lied to us both." She shot her partner a nasty look as she finished the sentence.   

The Admiral put his spectacles on and opened a file. "Well, I'll spread the word around the office. Quite a few people have gotten curious as to the...origin...of Grace. And permission to have the afternoon off is denied. Dismissed." 

***

Mac followed Harm through the bullpen, talking a mile a minute, but softly enough for no one else to hear. "Do you have any idea how lucky you are?" she hissed, "If that were any other admiral, your six would be at an Article 32 right now for lying to a senior officer! Not to mention the fact that you just lied to him _again_!"

Harm shrugged. "I had no choice, Mac!"

Sturgis suddenly bumped into them, his expression one of confusion. "Harm...are you aware there's a child in your office?"

Harm nodded. "Yeah, Sturgis." Commander Turner had arrived back at JAG that morning, and wasn't aware of the office's new guest. 

"Who is she?"

Mac rolled her eyes. "It's classified!" She said huffily and she stormed into her office.

Sturgis eyed his friend and then watched as the marine slammed her door and closed the blinds. 

"...What's wrong with Mac?"

Harm forced a smile. "She's a woman, Sturgis. Do we ever know what's wrong with them?"

He narrowed his eyes. "...Right...listen, I know I'm still new this place, but do we allow kids to do our filing?" Sturgis motioned to Grace who busied herself in Harm's office with the files. 

Harm clenched his jaw. "Right, about the kid...Grace...I've been given guardianship over her..." He proceeded to fill his friend in with the same "details" he'd told Admiral Chegwidden, only this time without as much stuttering. 

***

1900 ZULU 

Mac stared at her computer screen, watching the curser blink, deciding how to answer the email to Chloe. Her little sister had sent her a desperate email, claiming the "man of her dreams" was about to go out with the "wrong girl." She then again asked that question that Mac never seemed to have an answer to: Why don't men get any smarter with age?

"Hey Chloe. From what it sounds like, this Nathan character doesn't have very good taste in women if he hasn't asked you out yet. Perhaps he's nervous about asking you? Or maybe he just doesn't deserve you. But something I've observed about men is that they never tell you how they feel, but it's easy to read their emotions...and they never admit when they're wrong...or admit that they love you and keep you hanging around waiting for them to finally admit that they love you but then they leave you because they're afraid of commitment and losing their great "freedom" and—" 

Mac stopped when she realized she was talking about someone she knew. She erased the email and started over. 

"Hey Chloe. Nathan obviously doesn't deserve you if he hasn't noticed you yet. I suggest you move on and find someone who actually listens and pays attention to you. Trust me...you'll know when you'll find the right guy. 

Love and hugs, Mac" 

 Mac clicked "send", satisfied with her advice. But her thoughts drifted to Harm...and Grace. Mac had avoided her the whole day. The hospital was supposed to call today with the results of the test. It was now 1400 and no phone call. But she already knew what the results were. It would be impossible for Grace to be her daughter. Simply impossible. So why did her palms sweat every time Harm's phone rang? Because she was afraid that there was a small chance Grace was telling the truth. Then how could Harm be so calm about it? He acted like it was any other day! Why wasn't he as nervous as her? Or was it that he knew something...something he didn't tell her... 

 Mac pushed away from the desk and stormed out of her office. She breezed past the other personnel and opened her partner's door. Harm glanced over from his computer, ignoring the anger that was plain on her features. 

"I see you still haven't quite perfected the simple art of a knock." He said impishly.

Mac closed the door and sat down in one of the chairs opposite the desk. "We need to talk."

Harm tapped something on the keyboard and then leaned back in his chair. "About what?"

"You know damn well what."

Finally taking notice that she was serious, Harm changed his cocky expression into a concerned one. "They haven't called yet."

"It not about that—well, it is, but it's not."

Harm didn't try to decipher what she just said and let her continue. "How come you're so calm about this? Doesn't it bother you the least bit that this girl has suddenly entered your life, is living under your roof, and claiming to be...our daughter?"

 Harm bit his lip and gathered a breath to speak, when the phone rang. "Hold that thought." He then picked up the receiver before Mac could protest, "Rabb...yes, this is Commander Harmon Rabb...yes...really...all right, thanks...you too...bye." Harm softly placed the receiver on the cradle, glancing up at Mac. The color had already drained from her face. 

"That was Bethesda," as if Mac didn't know, "...they made a positive match between Grace's DNA and ours."

The marine's face was a mask that covered the million emotions swimming around under it. Harm rested his hand over his mouth, staring at the phone. Mac was the first to make a sound. It was something between a gasp and a desperate wheeze for air. "But it's—it's impossi—it can't." Mac shifted her crazed gaze to Harm, who looked less than surprised. In fact, he looked like he'd just won a case. It was a relieved expression. And it scared the hell out of Mac. 

"Aren't you—" She had trouble finishing the sentence; her head was being pulled in a thousand different directions. That's when a realization hit her, and she stood, her getting knees weak. 

"You _wanted_ this to happen." She accused, her voice shaky. 

He didn't deny it. He looked out the window of his office into the bullpen, watching Grace maneuver in between all the people. Mac stepped in front of his view and he sat up in the chair.

"Why would you say that, Mac?"

She shook her head at her partner's denial. "Because...ever since you saw that photograph, it's convinced you. You _want_ that family, Harm! You _want_ to be Grace's father! Why else would you take her in?"

The former aviator tried to think of a retort but nothing escaped his lips. Mac knew she was right when he couldn't reply. Mac sat back down, leaning her elbows on her knees with her chin on her crossed hands. "What do we do, now?"

Harm watched his daughter again as she struck up a conversation with Tiner. "I suppose we should tell her." 

***

Harm, Mac, and Grace sat quietly in Harm's office. It had been like this for about a minute. Grace wasn't sure what how to comfort her parents with the disturbing news. Her mother was in obvious denial. Grace figured she couldn't believe she actually _married_ Harm much less have three children with him. 

"How did it happen?" Mac finally asked.

Grace shrugged, staring at her hands as she always did when nervous. "I went to this old house on Halloween with a few friends. I was dared to spend an hour in it...I fell through the staircase and woke up in 2002. I don't know how it happened. It just did." 

More silence. 

"You didn't see anything? Hear anything?" Harm asked. 

Grace shook her head. "I blacked out. I'd fallen into the basement and just blacked out."

Harm was starting to put the pieces together. She came to CIA headquarters afraid, alone, and utterly confused. Desperate could be thrown into the mix as well. She was lucky though. Who knows what would have happened to her if she went anywhere else?  

***

1300 ZULU

Fairfax High

Fairfax, Virginia

The Next Day

Harm stopped the Corvette at the entrance to the high school and observed Grace's reaction. She stared out the passenger window, watching all the students on the front lawn as she tightly hugged her backpack. Harm nudged her arm, making her start in the seat. 

"Go on, they won't bite."

Grace widened her eyes. "Are you sure?"

Harm pointed at the school. "Go...and..._try_ to have a good time." 

After gathering a deep breath, Grace opened the door and put a foot out, but turned back to her father. "Thanks...for everything."

Harm smirked. "Don't act like you're going to your death...now get outta here." He said playfully. 

Grace stepped fully out of the Corvette and closed the door, giving a little wave to her father. She then hoisted the strap of the backpack on her shoulder and walked towards the school, feeling a surge of anxiety form in the pit of her stomach. Students surrounded the front lawn on all sides. Some were sitting working on last minute homework, others entered the school in thick crowds. Grace headed for the densest crowd, squeezing herself between the bodies to get inside the school. Everyone was talking and Grace could only make out bits and pieces of conversation, and eventually, it all just turned into a loud hum. The crowd thinned out as each student went to their own destinations and now Grace had the unpleasant task of finding her locker. 

 Harm drove away from the school and thought about the conversation he'd had with Mac the day before. She was right. He did want a family. And Grace seemed like the perfect start to one. But who was he kidding? She didn't belong here, no matter how much he wanted her to stay.  

***

Grace sat in the last row of her geometry classroom. The room started to fill up as the 0810 bell rang out. A couple of students did a double-take when they saw her, but otherwise ignored her. Grace then spotted Eric on the other side of room talking to another guy. He nodded and winked at her. Grace made a half-smile. 

 The teacher finally entered the room and told everybody to quiet down and go to their seats. Grace had to restrain herself from yelping. 

_Clayton Webb?! What is he _doing_ here?!_

"All right, kids, sit down, we have a lot to do and only an hour in which to do it," he snapped bitterly, "I'm Mr. Webb, your new geometry teacher."

"What happened to Mrs. Curry?" Eric asked. 

Webb shrugged. "From my understanding, Mrs. Curry has won a fully paid vacation to the Bahamas until February."

Grace stared at the CIA agent, her head shaking slightly. So this was how she'd be kept under surveillance. 

***

2117 ZULU

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Same Day

Grace stormed out of the elevator, not bothering to thank Webb for giving her a ride. She then breezed past her father who had to curtly to step out of her way before she walked into him. 

"How was your first day?"

"It sucked!" She yelled over her shoulder, escaping into the conference room. Her response initiated a few curious looks from other passing personnel. Webb emerged slowly from the elevator, a frown on his face. Harm looked at the conference room doors, then back at Webb. 

"What happened?"

Webb sighed and signaled for Harm to follow him into the break room. Once there, they waited for a petty officer to leave, and then Webb started in on his story. 

"Well, she missed the last of her classes, because she got into a fight at lunch break."

Harm stopped pouring coffee into his mug. "_What_?" 

Webb leaned his back against the wall, crossing his arms. "Apparently, someone learned you were in the Navy and started verbally bashing her for it. She punched him...he punched her..."

"A _guy_ punched her?"

"She's sporting quite a shiner, but she'll survive."  

Harm shook his head and put the coffee pot down. "Unbelievable. Anything else happen?"

Webb hesitated, biting his lip. "Well...I've discovered that teaching geometry to the average American teenager is like getting teeth pulled."

"I meant with Grace."

Webb opened the fridge, eyeing each shelf. "Well, she's behind in chemistry already because she spent her class time in the nurse's office _and_ the principal's. She's been dubbed 'Grouchy Grace' for punching that guy, and in her own words, her social life is 'now the equivalent to that of a cockroach.' " Webb picked up a Ziploc bag that contained a green and fuzzy organism, his face twisted in disgust. "My God, don't you people ever clean this thing out?"

Harm took a sip of the coffee, but cringed and dumped it into the sink. "So that was it for day one?"

Webb examined a sandwich, but scowled and put it back into the brown paper bag. "Uh, well...there is one more problem..."

Harm snatched a celery stick from Webb's hand. "What?"

Webb clenched his jaw and tapped his fingers on the counter. "She's refusing to go back tomorrow." 

***

Grace dumped her backpack into the chair at the head of the table in the conference room. She then sat in the chair next to it, and felt a tremble through her body as tears threatened her. She didn't deserve this. With all that was going on, the last thing she wanted to worry about was fitting in. The first sob racked her small frame and she dropped her head onto her folded arms on the table. It was only a moment later when uneven footsteps sounded from the bookshelves on the other side of the room. Grace sat up, wiping away the streaks of tears. Bud placed the two thick books on the table and limped over to her. 

"Bud—Lieutenant Roberts, sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here."

He didn't seem to hear her and instead sat down next to her. His childlike features filled with concern.

"Are you all right," his expression dropped a few degrees, "is this about your...parent? Admiral Chegwidden told us what happened."

Grace admired the fact that Bud always considered everything that was happening to someone. "No. I had my first day back at school today...everything just went wrong." Grace brushed away the lock of hair that covered her bruised eye. Bud's eyes widened at the sight. "How did that happen?"

Grace groaned, leaning her head back down on her arms. "I don't wanna talk about it." 

Bud nodded in understanding and then thought about how he could offer any comfort. "...well, think of it this way. Stuff like this happens in high school. Now, you'll probably never have a day like this again. So maybe you can look forward to the fact that things can only get better?"

Grace slowly turned her head to face him, the tears now dry. "Thanks, Bud."

He smiled, lighting up his face. "You know, ice cream always works too." 

She laughed, remembering that he'd given her that advice once before. 

***

TBC

***

oh, I hope this came out right. I worked on it all last night, brushing it up, re-writing and rearranging, omg, I hope the fuzziness of my lack of sleep didn't make this chapter come out all goofed up. Hope it came out right! C ya next week!  
~sancti


	6. All Ya Need Is Love

Yay! Thank you!!!!!! And thank you all for sending good luck to the computer doctor!!!!! :D

beegirl: LoL, why thank you very much! I knew I wanted to do a couple scenes with Grace in the school, but I wanted to mix them up a little bit. At first, I had Special Agent Laux (the guy in the beginning of the story that first interrogated Grace) as the teacher, but I thought "nah, let's hit a little closer to home" and Webb seemed like the perfect choice. It's gonna be a blast writing more about that!!!! The scene is the car is one of my favorites in that chapter! I've been trying to make it hard on both of them to adjust to each other (one scene is like that in this chapter and I almost left it out, but couldn't resist). And Mac is pretty much in a denial state at the moment and kind of mad at the world and it's twisted little games. Anywho, thank you for "rambling," it really lets me see what you think on certain aspects of the story!!!! Thank you!!!!

ArwenUndomiel: LoL, thank you!!!! Hope the chair is okay!!! :D Heehee, oh, so many questions and so many answers I won't give you!!! Do not fear!! I know how this will end!!! As for Mac, she's going to lighten up a little bit in this chapter. As I was writing chapter 5, I really didn't like how rebellious Mac was getting, but I just let it go, knowing her attitude would improve in this chapter. And I couldn't resist putting the baby-deal in there. Thank you so much for reading!!!!!

Mimmi: Oh, stop it! lol! Thank you so much. I've completely fallen in love with these characters, and it'll be a sad day when I have to put them away again. But for the time being, playing with them has been a blast! I feel like Grace is my sister!!!!! Webb is just too funny _not_ to write about, and I could not resist stickin' him in there for a few laughs. Thank you very much for coming back, reading, and giving so much support. You make me so happy!!!! See ya next week! 

Pissed Of Poet: Yeah, there's Harm bein' Mr. Positive. I like him like that *snicker*. And don't worry about Mac...she'll come around. As for the Admiral, I love the fact that he's "always the last to know everything around here!" So I thought I'd keep that part of his character intact. Thanks for comin' back!!! See ya next week! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*110*~ on the review list!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, POET!!!!

Mia: *waves* Hello, good friend!!!! Eric is cool to write about. He has a unique personality and what I did was combine the personalities of other guys I know. Don't worry, there will be a lot more of him, and I'll keep the flirting to a minimum. ;) The baby deal was fun to stick in there. Mac will find out eventually. This chapter is going to begin with a mother/daughter bonding moment that hopefully won't come out too corny! Webb as a teacher was a thought that just popped into my head right before I uploaded the chapter. I couldn't resist, it was just be too funny. That's a good idea with A.J. and Grace givin' our favorite CIA agent a hard time! I'm going to use that! Thanks! I tossed around the idea of Grace and flying. I figured maybe Harm could take her up and then have her surprise _him_ with _her_ skills. I'd have to do some research on biplanes though. I only know a little bit because of the watching the show, or asking my big brother who studied planes, but is now studying his little brain out in collage with architecture. I'm sure I can find something on the net. School I'm gonna do some stuff with. After Grace gets more comfortable in her surroundings, I plan on her getting a little more active. She's going to have her friend Eric there to steer her along, and maybe she'll surprise everyone in computer class. Then again, she might not know how to work the computer at_ all_ given the fact that they would be too "primitive." Great suggestion, though! Ah! Ah! That's _GREAT_ with the suggestion with Sturgis or Harriet! I can see it now...have Grace strike up a convo with the two after Harm did, then flash that smile...have her walk away...then Sturgis and Harriet will look at each other in that "did you see what I just saw?" kind of way! Oh! oh! Yay! I'm gonna use that too!!!!!! LoL, well, since I still have some research to do, I don't know if I'll be able to get a chappy out by Sundays. I really do like having the whole week to add stuff, think about it, remove-or-keep it, and then move on. When I do it that way, I can really see if there are mistakes or if something doesn't make sense. So it's actually _good _that I take a whole week!! Thank you so much for giving reviews like this, it's so nice to know what ppl are actually thinking when they read this!! See ya!!

Eggy Weg: LOL, that's in this chapter!!!!! Hope ya like it!!! Thank you!!!!!  

marineJAG: Ah! So many questions that shall be answered...not now, but soon! Thanks for reading!!!!! 

DD2: Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! You came back!!! :D Thank you sOoOoOoOo much!!!! 

Hazel: Hiya! LoL, when I thought about him being the teacher, I couldn't resist. Thank you for coming back!!!!

Chloe: LoL, thought it would be funny with Webb in there, cause I wanted more of him in it, but it would have been difficult, so this seemed the perfect way!

SarahRabb705: Yay! Thank you! The chapter was hard to write at first, I switched a lot around, but then it started to make sense, I hope. Thanks for coming back!!! 

CharmedMummy: First, _great_ questions. This really helps me know what the ppl are thinking. Webb as a teacher: I thought about it after I posted the chapter, and decided that the CIA would probably want someone in there. And I can just imagine Webb going, "uh-uh...that's _my_ job. I want to know first-hand what she talks about." I realize now it is a little unrealistic, but I just couldn't resist! Harm/Mac discussions: Mac is obviously in a bit of denial. And that will be fully explained in this chapter where there will be a "touching mother/daughter bonding moment" that I hope won't come out too corny. When I wrote the 5th chapter, I was taking a chance, because I did leave some unanswered questions. But most of them will become clear in this chapter! School records: Wait till ya hear this: I had an entire scene written out explaining where Grace was before, and even said she was stationed with her parents in _Australia_, and that it would be 'too difficult' to get the school records. But it became too long-winded and I just decided to cut it from the chapter. So I thought of it this way: If the school asked for previous records, Harm could use his ties with the government, and just threaten to come back with a court order or something to allow Grace into the school. I suppose I could have done a scene with Harm and the principle talking this out...now that I think about it, I _should've_ written that...well, maybe the school, after witnessing Grace's first day, will ask for her records again, and I can set up something with Harm coming back at them using his government ties. Great question though. Welp, thanks again! See ya next week!

kiwi: Welcome back, kiwi!! I love that you love it!!!!!! Thank you!!

Cassie: Thank you so much! The going-back-in-time bit wasn't even going to be the center of the story, it kind of just happened. But I have the ending planned out and some of it written, so I hope ya come back for more! Thanks! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*120*~ on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, CASSIE!!!

carby 24/7: LoL, no worries, it takes a _lot_ for me to be offended! Great question too. I explained to another reviewer that I'd taken a chance with this chapter because I left a lot of unanswered questions. But it's not because I don't have the answers to them! To answer what's going on in Mac's head...it will be fully explained in the beginning of this chapter with a touching mother/daughter scene that I hope won't come out too corny!! Thanks again!!

cmaf: Hey! Welcome back! Thank you for coming back! I've made a schedule that I am determined to keep, and new chapters are every Friday night (I post them in the Thursday night, but it doesn't come up on the page until about 8 o'clock at night (EST), but u can still access it through my profile). Thanks again for such nice comments! Expect the next chapter Nov. 28th! 

sunchaser2: Thank you so much! :)      

NavyCB: My, god, Navy, thank you for such inspiring, nice comments. It truly means a lot! And thank you for reading. :) Expect the next chapter Nov. 28th!

frances: Hiya, frances! Thanks for coming back!!!! LoL, little known detail...*whispers* I didn't think it was gonna end up like this either! *snicker* But you can bet I'm going to continue this, I've already started writing the last chapter so I have something to work up to. Thanks again for reading! See ya next week!!!!

jagchick105: hiya, jag! Heehee, thank you so much!!! This chapter is going to answer a few more questions!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!

Ducks: LoL!!!!! No kidding??? You live there??? Omg!!! Do you go to the Fairfax high school by any chance??? Heehee, read this chapter and you'll find out a little bit more about the punch.... 

Moltron1: Thank you! I'm having so much fun writing it!!!! See ya next week!!!

Pennithil: Hey, there! Heehee, some laughs ahead concerning Webb as the new teacher!!! Thanks for reading!!!! 

kstorm: Why thank you very much!!!!! Different and interesting is good!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*130*~ on the review list!!!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, K!!!! 

r: Hey, welcome back!!! Thank you so much for reading!!!!!!

Moonlights Sundance: Hi there. It might have had trouble downloading, the site's been kinda slow the past couple days. Thank you for checkin' it out!!!

NadaZimri: Hold your horses, Sergei is in this chapter!!! I want chicken!!!! I can't make my own!!!! I love the phone thing! Now I know pretty much what everyone is thinking when they read it!!!! Hah, and lucky you for gettin' that sneak-peek!!!! 

maggie: Hey there! Glad you like it! It was a fun chapter to write up. Webb being a math teacher totally didn't cross my mind until moments before I uploaded that chapter. Thank you!!!!

girlgunner: Heh, wow! Thank you for taking the time to catch up!!! LOL, yes, I realize time-travel is something we would love to see happen, but know it won't for some time. Which is why us writers have the power to change the Laws of Science and bend them at our will, muahahaha, :) !!!!  Thank you so much for reading!!!!  

Disclaimer: 'Tis true that I've again used the words of a song to title my chapter and I acknowledge that it's from the Beatle's "All Ya Need Is Love"...I think that's the title...Don't hurt me, Paul!!!  

Chapter 6: All Ya Need Is Love... 

1230 ZULU

Harm's Apartment

North of Union Station, Washington D.C.

_Theorem 80...The angle bisectors of a triangle are concurrent...let triangle ABC represent any triangle. Let two rays bisect angle A and angle B and let their point of intersection be called P. Through P, draw line segment PD which is perpendicular to line segment AC_—

Grace moaned, dropping the pencil. She watched as it rolled off the textbook and fell onto the wooden floor, and finally under a chair. Grace groaned again and flopped back onto the pullout bed. The smell of pancakes drifted into the room, making her sit up. Her father busied himself in the kitchen, pouring batter onto the griddle. He also started to whistle cheerfully. Grace stuffed the geometry book into the backpack and took out her chemistry instead. She softly read aloud the first question of her assignment. 

"Give the balanced chemical equation for the reaction in which aqueous calcium nitrite reacts with aqueous sodium carbonate to produce solid calcium carbonate and aqueous sodium nitrite." Grace blinked. __

_I hate chemistry._ She thought. 

"Want some pancakes?" Harm called as he flipped them, each landing on the griddle, sizzling. 

Grace looked up from her book, her eyes foggy. "No thanks. I'm not very hungry."

She watched his expression dropped a few degrees. "Why didn't you say so before?"

Grace shrugged. "You didn't ask."

Harm made a theatrical sigh as he continued cooking. "Good thing Mac's coming over then."

Grace's head whipped up. "Why is she coming over here at seven in the morning?"

"She's going to join us, or me, for breakfast. We're going to bring you to school, then we're driving out to Alexandria to meet a witness."

"Oh."

As if on cue, a knock was heard at the door. "Get that, will ya?" Harm asked as he poured the last of the batter onto the griddle. Grace slid off the bed and grudgingly went to the door, unlocking it and opening it to reveal her mother. Mac gave her a chilly smile as she walked past her into the apartment. 

"Good morning." She said as she took off her tan marine coat. 

Grace responded with an equally frosty smile. "Morning, Mac." Her mother looked like she wanted to say something, but shook it away and walked over to the kitchen. 

Grace thought about asking her a question, but decided against it, and went back to her chemistry book.  

Grace tried to block out her parents' conversation, but their words seemed to drift over as clearly at the smell of those pancakes. They discussed the case and how best to approach the witness. If Grace closed her eyes, and blocked out their words...just listen to their voices...she could almost imagine herself back at home. But the strange reality she was in kicked back into gear when the phone rang. Harm answered it, but took the call in his bedroom. Mac busied herself in the kitchen, washing the small amount of dishes and then put away the food. 

 Grace finally finished her homework and grabbed her backpack as it laid precariously on the edge of the bed. But she took it by the wrong end and all the books collapsed to the floor with multiple thuds. Harm poked his head out from the bedroom, the phone still glued to his ear, but then disappeared back in. Grace grunted as she reached down for her books, when a hand came into view holding her thick geometry book. Her mother forced a smile as Grace took the book slowly. 

"Thanks."

Mac reached to Grace's face, but she pulled away. Her mother cringed. "Sorry, I just wanted to see how that bruise was doing." She said, then referred to the lock of hair that Grace had carefully brushed over her right eye. The girl bit her lip, and swept the hair away to reveal the black eye. 

"I tried using make-up, but it didn't work too well."

Mac got her purse from the leather chair and took out her Cover-Up. "The fresh ones are the hardest to hide." She sat down next to her daughter as Grace tied her hair back. 

"Who did it?" Mac asked as she started. 

Grace winced when she dabbed the powder around her eye. "A stupid freshman that was about three feet shorter than me." She said sarcastically.

Mac smiled at that, then leaned back a little to examine her progress. Not completely satisfied, she went back to work. That's when Grace said something out of the blue. 

"Why do you hate me?"

Mac brought her hand away and her lips parted in disbelief. "I don't _hate_ you."

Grace shrugged a shoulder. "Okay, then why do you strongly dislike me?"

She was obviously uncomfortable with the line of questioning and was about to stand from the bed, but the look in her daughter's eyes told her to stay. "It's hard to explain—"

"Try." Grace urged. 

Mac sighed, staring down at the floor. After a moment to gather her words, she finally spoke. "You're a wonderful girl, Grace. You're smart, beautiful, mature. Everything a parent would want from a child...everything _I'd_ want from a child." When Grace didn't say anything, she continued, "But you can't stay here. And I won't let what's happened to Harm happen to me."

"What do you mean?"

"He loves you, Grace. After only...what, four days of knowing you...he's accepted you as his child, because you _are_. But I can't get attached, Gracie. And if you already didn't know, I'm terrible at saying goodbyes. But eventually that's going to happen. We're going to have to say goodbye."

Mac let it sink in, and saw in Grace's eyes that she understood. But there was pain etched in her face as well. And so with that, Mac stood, but Grace grabbed her arm, tears falling down her face. 

"Mom!" Mac's frame stressed and she looked down at the girl, "He loves you, Mom. He always has. He'd do anything for you, you know that! And to prove it, he married you! He kept his promise and had a baby with you! He supported you and gave you everything you ever wanted! So whether you want to accept it or not, _that's _what happened! And I'm part of that!"

Grace let go of her mother's arm and leaned her forehead on her hand, concentrating on her breathing. Mac stared down at her in admiration. As she watched her cry, it reminded her of when she was a young teenager. She remembered sitting on the hard floor under her window, hugging her knees, waiting for the screaming to stop. It would, then the crying came, and the desperate attempts of her father begging her mother for forgiveness. It was the same every time. The picture was so clear now, and Mac wanted to hug that little girl who endured the years of verbal assault. Mac wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tight. Hugged all that pain away. 

 The girl's body stopped trembling from the tears, and Mac realized she wasn't hugging little Sarah Mackenzie, but Grace Rabb. Mac pulled away and looked at her, taking in the perplexity on her face. "You really are my daughter, aren't you?"

Grace used the back of her hand to wipe her own tears away. "You told me once you couldn't imagine your life any other way. Can you imagine now what you'd be doing in the next 16 years?"

Mac contemplated the interesting question. No matter how many different roads she pictured she could take, she saw Harm's face in each of them. She loved him. She always had. Chloe knew it. Sturgis knew it. Hell, the whole office knew it. But more importantly, Harm knew. The events at Sydney Harbor were all you needed to prove that. The memory burned her a little. She had given him a chance. She'd let down her guard, and he practically slapped her in the face. She hadn't approached him about it since.

 Mac heard footsteps behind her and she turned around. Harm stood there with the phone in his hand, trying to figure out the situation. Grace stood, shouldering her backpack. 

"I'm ready."

***

1300 ZULU

Alexandria, Virginia

Harm fiddled with the radio, trying to find a station that would give a weather report. Thick raindrops splat onto the window shield and lightening flashed in the distance, accompanied by a gentle rumble of thunder. Cars moved slowly through the town and police lights flashed in the distance, no doubt being called to an accident. Harm finally stumbled across a station giving a report. 

"Expect mild thunderstorms all day, with a high of sixty-three degrees. The low tonight will be forty-five with heavy showers by midnight."

"Gonna be a gloomy day." Mac murmured as she watched the rain out the window. 

Harm agreed with a nod of his head, but it was clear other things were on his mind.   

"What happened in there?" He finally inquired as they stopped at a red light. 

Mac continued to stare out the window so Harm wouldn't read the anxiety in her eyes. "Grace and I cleared some things up, that's all."

Harm's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "You two seemed pretty emotional." 

"It was an emotional conversation about some things we cleared up."

Harm was starting the to see more and more similarities between Mac and Grace. 

***

1320 ZULU

Fairfax High

Fairfax, Virginia

 Grace gave the finishing touches to her doodle of a Tomcat as Webb drew a picture on the board of a triangle with several lines drawn through it. He labeled some of the angles, and then told the class to label the rest of the ten or so angles he'd left blank. The class groaned and the shuffle of paper was heard throughout the room as kids leafed through their notebooks and took their pencils and calculators. Grace colored in the nose of the F-14 before turning the page over to copy the triangle down. Eric looked over at her notebook before she turned the page and grinned. 

"Nice plane."

"Jet." Grace corrected him. 

Eric put his hands up in defense. "Sorry...jet. What kind of jet?"

"Tomcat F-14B." She said casually as she drew the triangle. 

Eric blinked. "Oh...neat. You a plane-buff or somethin'?"

"My father used to fly them."

"Really? Used to?" He said as he folded a piece of paper into a plane.

"His eyes were screwed up. Had a ramp-strike a long time ago." 

"Oh." Eric finished the plane and smiled over at Grace, "Watch this." 

Eric curved in his bottom lip and closed an eye, aiming the paper plane. Then he drew his hand back and let it fly. It zoomed over the heads of the other students who ducked, and finally bopped into the back of Webb's head as he wrote on the board. His hand stopped moving, and he slowly turned around, his eyes glancing down at the paper plane that rested on the tile floor. A flutter of giggles rippled over the classroom.  

Webb's gaze shifted off the floor and over the students who had all lowered their heads and pretended to be working.

***

1710 ZULU

 Grace slammed her locker door, revealing Eric's face on the other side. He grinned. "Ready for lunch?"

Grace leaned her shoulder onto the lockers and sighed. "Can we talk about something?"

His brow creased as he put a couple books into his own locker. "What?"

"It's about Webb."

The grin reappeared on his face. "That was a great shot, huh?"

"You see...I kind of know him..."

Eric cocked an eyebrow. "How?"

"He's...a friend of the family. You know, one of those friends you don't introduce to other friends." 

"Ohhkay." He said, not really understanding the problem. 

"So could ya go just a little easier on him?"

Eric's lips parted as he finally grasped what she meant. "I get it. No more paper planes?"

Grace made a half smile. "Right...no more paper planes." 

The two left the busy corridor off into the even busier cafeteria. Rolls of laughter erupted from several parts of the large room as Grace and Eric filed with the other students into the lunch line. They each took a tray, and started down the rows of unappetizing food. 

"So, how do you know Webb?" Eric inquired as he took a plate of meatloaf. 

Grace felt her gut twitch a little. Obviously the truth couldn't be revealed here. "My father worked with him." 

"Webb was in the Navy?"

Grace took a bowl of soup and sniffed it. Her nose scrunched and she put it back. "Uh, sure. Enlisted. My dad represented him when he was falsely accused of insubordination." _There. That worked._  

"Oh." Eric said distractedly and Grace looked over at him. 

"What is it?"

Eric leaned over and whispered. "There's some freaky janitor over there staring at you." Eric motioned with his head past her left shoulder and Grace nonchalantly turned to take a look. Grace blinked. 

_Special Agent Laux?!_ The tiny little man that had interrogated her at Langley? Laux looked away and continued to sweep the floor. This frightened Grace. Who else was here that was in the CIA? She swept the area with her eyes. Grace locked gazes with a lunch lady who looked away. 

"You all right?" Eric asked as he paid for his lunch. 

Grace forced a smile. "Sure."  

***

2135 ZULU

Harm's Apartment

North of Union Station, Washington D.C.

 Grace bopped her head to the rap song on the radio. Somehow, it helped her study in the way that she could enjoy it. She found a technique where she could memorize a definition that went to the beat of the song. Or she could even make a rap out of it. But Grace could only do this when Harm wasn't at the apartment. He wasn't too fond of rap music. So, luckily, he was out doing errands. 

 As Grace tried to make a rap verse out of a chemical equation, the annoying buzzer went off at the door. Grace slid off the pullout bed (hardly ever used as a couch anymore) and slowly moved her hips in a rhythmic motion as she strode across the room. Grace busted one last dance move, and then opened the door. At that very moment, Grace knew in her bones that she'd laid eyes on the most attractive man she'd ever seen. But it only took a fraction of a second more for her to realize who it was. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she suddenly wanted to be swallowed up into the floor. Sergei's brow creased and he gave her a funny look. 

"Who are you?" He said with that Russian accent, his expression turning into that of amusement. 

She momentarily forgot her name. "Um...G—Grace."

Something clicked, and his puzzlement disappeared. "...Right, you are the child Harm is caring for?"

Grace resented the fact that he'd called her a child, but quickly got over it. "Yeah...that's me. You are..." She said, trying to sound innocent.

He stuck out his hand and smiled. "Sergei Zhukov. Harm's—"

"Half brother." Grace finished for him as she shook his hand. "Harm told me about you."

Sergei glanced over her shoulder into the apartment, where the rap music still played loudly. "Is he here?"

Grace shook her head one too many times. "No...I think he's at the store. Do you wanna come in?" 

Sergei thought it over a moment, but then smiled. "Sure."

Grace fully opened the door to allow him in and watched his expression as the rap music got louder. His eyes narrowed and it looked like he was in physical pain. 

"What is that?" The young Russian asked as he walked up the stereo. 

"Rap." Grace replied. 

He didn't seem to get it and his eyes widened when the rapper's lyrics sped up to an indecipherable speed. 

***

2150 ZULU

King Kullen's Market

Washington D.C.

Harm had been in bad situations before. He'd faced-off a couple MIGs, survived punching out three times, and had done just about everything imaginable that took the strength of only the bravest men. But it couldn't get any worse than this. This was something no man should have to go through. But here he was, trapped, alone, and utterly lost. 

An older store employee walked up to him, puzzlement in her eyes. She looked at him, at the list and box in his hands, and then at the shelves across from them.

"Can I help you, young man?" She asked cautiously, causing Harm to stir. 

He forced a sheepish smile, but had a difficult time finding words. "I...I'm pretty lost."

The elder woman made a half-smile and crossed her bony arms over her chest. "New wife?"

"New teenager."

She nodded in understanding and motioned for him to give her the list. "Right, let me see that." She straightened her spectacles and whispered the words to herself. 

"Ah. I see. Well, _that's_ not what you need." She said, taking the box out of Harm's hand. She walked down the aisle a little and found the brand and type that Grace had specified.

"Here we are. _Stayfree: Maxi_." She tossed two bags into the cart and gave the list back to the still puzzled Naval attorney. 

Harm breathed a sigh of great relief and grinned. "Thanks."

The woman reached up to pat him on the shoulder. "Mission accomplished, sailor." She added wryly, eyeing his uniform. She walked away whistling. 

"Fancy meeting you here." Mac's voice rang out from further down the aisle. 

Harm made a dry chuckle as he pushed the cart towards his partner. "Remind me again why she's not staying with _you_?"

"Because it's just too much fun watching you suffer." Mac said as she tossed a bag into her cart. 

Harm made a half smile as she brushed past him. Harm followed her. "Why are you all the way out here, anyway?"

"This store carries my brand." She threw over her shoulder. Harm fell in step with the Marine as she walked briskly to the next aisle. 

"Is this about this morning?" Harm asked, taking notice of how Mac distanced herself. 

She examined a box of instant brownies, reading the nutrition facts. "What, just because that witness turned out to be about as useful in court as a donkey, you're expecting me to be angry? No, why would I be?"

Harm sighed, taking the box out of Mac's hand. "Look, we both know witnesses can be unpredictable. Just be thankful we found that out _before_ we put him on the stand."

Mac grabbed the box back and cast it into her cart. "But now we're _out_ of witnesses."

Harm eyed her curiously as she continued down the aisle. "That doesn't sound like you." 

"I'm just presenting the facts, Harm." She snapped, her tone rising. 

He caught up with her and grabbed her arm. She seemed annoying at first, but didn't wrench away. "What's this really about, Mac?"

The marine dumped a bag of cookies in her cart, and then leaned her elbows on the handlebar. "Grace said something to me this morning...it's had me kind of...itchy all day."   

Harm chuckled. "I'll say—" Mac gave him a look that could kill and he quieted.

"Harm...would you marry me someday?"

The sailor felt his brows rise and his silence gave Mac her answer. She straightened and started to push her cart, but Harm put his in front of hers. 

"I didn't say no, Mac."

"You didn't say yes."

"It's a big decision!"

"And it's supposed to be the easiest to make!"

Harm scoffed and lowered his head. "I dunno...maybe...someday, Mac, come on, you're puttin' me on the spot here." 

Mac shook her head. "Don't you get it? Even if we were to get married, have kids, whatever. Wouldn't it seem like it was something we _had_ to do? I mean, I don't think I'd ever get past a day wondering if I was living that life just because it was already written. And...even if we _tried_ to live it out as Grace said we would...it'd be fake." 

"Hm." 

Mac blinked. "That's it? A grunt is all you can reply with?" She didn't give him a chance to answer. "Harm, I just poured my heart out and you _grunt_? Why don't you tell me what _you_ think?"

Harm chuckled dryly and moved his cart out of the aisle. "I'm not about to pour _my_ heart out in a grocery store. Who knows who's listening?"

Mac stood there, her mouth agape. "You coward!"

Harm shrugged. "Call me what you will." He yelled over his shoulder as he exited the aisle. Mac pushed her cart after him. 

"Chicken!"

"You're really not helping the situation, jarhead."

"Get back here, squid!"   

***

2130 ZULU

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Grace had found she could study certain subjects in particular places at the JAG HQ. Chemistry was done in the conference room. History in an empty courtroom. Geometry in her dad's office. Creative writing in the bullpen. Though that room was pretty noisy with ringing phones and constant movement of the personnel, Grace found it a good place to come up with ideas. At the moment, she was exiting the conference room to take the elevator to the courtroom. But when she opened the large oak door, she bumped into a young, blond lieutenant. She wore a sour expression, and seemed quite annoyed by the encounter. 

"Sorry, Lieutenant." 

The woman rolled her eyes and brushed past her into the conference room. Shrugging it off, she had one foot out the door when a realization hit her. Grace didn't know that woman. She thought she knew every officer that worked here. Just for kicks, Grace turned around, closing the door. 

"Excuse me?" Grace asked as she walked up to the woman who was at one of the bookshelves. 

She turned around curtly. "What?" She hissed. 

It didn't take long for Grace to figure out this woman was ill tempered. She probably wasn't liked by many here. "What's your name?"

The woman's face twisted into disgust, like Grace was some bug that had landed in her lunch. "Lieutenant Singer." With that, she grabbed the book she needed and strode swiftly out of the room. Meanwhile, Grace's mouth had gone dry. Her mother had told her about Lauren Singer...and what happened to her. 

***

TBC

***

*sigh* Now this story is going to get serious. I have some of the very last chapter written out. I think we might expect this story to be over within a couple weeks. Depend on how far I want to go along with the Singer deal. Thank you so much!!!!! 

~sancti


	7. Sold Out Singer

Thank you all for your reviews!

NadaZimri: Hey there! Heehee, Sergei is fun....MON RABB, oooh, yeah....this has got to be the weirdest review response I've ever written....:D Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*140*~ on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, ELLE!!!!! 

Caroline: Thanks! I love writing the interactions between the characters. It's just so much fun trying to figure out what Mac and harm's reactions would be. And don't worry, with the ending I've already got planned out, it won't mess up the timeline. I think you will all be pleasantly surprised!!!

jagchick105: Hey there! LoL, I kind of resisted a little bit with that scene, I wasn't sure if I should put it in there, but it would be just too...real...lol. Thank you! Lieutenant Singer I knew would be brought into this eventually. I wasn't sure how far or much detail I'd have, but I think she's gonna be one of the main showdowns of this story (I think there's about 3 or so more chapters until the last one). I'm excited about the possibilities, so I just can't wait to get into it. Thank you so much, I thought I should make things a little humorous just because too much drama can make me sad :(. I'm glad you like it!!! Heehee, and there will be a few more "Harm torture moments"! Thanks again!!! 

Hazel: LOL, I'm glad you enjoyed it! It was just such a classic I had to put that in there. I couldn't resist torturing our favorite guy :D. Thank you!!

AngelQueen: Hi there! Aw, thank you so much! I've been having _so_ much fun writing this, and seeing what you guys think just makes it worth all the while!!!! I have the last chapter started, so I can work up to something, and the timeline is going to be preserved and—wait...you'll just have to see when we get there!!! Heehee, thank you so much for reading!!!

thinktink2: Hello!!! Welcome!!! LoL, _you_ were afraid?? Oh, man, I was shakin' in my boots wondering if this was gonna come out too Mary-Suish. Thank you so much for your compliments, it really means a lot :) LoL, my you have lots of questions that, in all fairness to the other readers, I refuse to answer at the moment. The last chapter is going to be a surprise, filled with some stuff that refers to the second chapter (hint, hint). Thank you for reading! See ya next week!!!

Mac2: Eeek! Thank you! Welcome!! I've have a blast writing this, and you guys are just so nice!!!! Thank you!!!! See ya next week!!!!!

cmaf: Yay! Thank you! Now, now, cmaf, lol. I really do like having the whole week to write and prepare the chapters. It gives me a nice amount of time to tidy it up, switch or re-write stuff, and then a little extra time to proofread for typos. Please don't make me post any earlier, lol!!! Thanks again for coming back!!!

Mimmi: Hey there! Thank you!! Writing these characters is just too much fun, trying to figure out how they react to the crazy situations I put them into. Thank you so much for reading!!!!!

NavyCB: Heehee, well, I will tell you now that it's not a dream. And, to be fair to my other readers, I won't answer some of those questions. Not because I don't _know_ (I've got half of the last chapter written out), but it is something I want you all to be surprised by! But don't worry, I think there will be about 3 or so more chapters and then the last one. Thank you for reading!

JagSister: Yay! I can't wait to write it, lol!!!! I had no idea the story would form into this, it started out as just a Halloween fic. But as stuff stirred in my head, I couldn't help but think..."Hey, this could be something." Thank you for your continuing support!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*150*~ on the review list! THANK YOU, SISTER!!!!

carby24/7: LoL, it's all good ;) Okay, I'm glad that scene didn't come off fake or anything. I had a few different ways I could have done it, but that seemed like the best. Thank you!! Ahaha, it won't be that long with Singer. She's not going to be the central of the story, but it will be one of the important things Grace will hafta deal with. I estimate about three more chapters, and then the conclusion. Just depends!! Thank you for reading!!!

Pissed Off Poet: Hey! No, I don't believe I'll have Mattie in here. In the first chapter, I said I didn't really want to include the happenings of the 9th season. Since this takes place in the middle of the 8th, Grace has already changed the outcome of some things. But...*looks around then whispers*...there will be a little jump into the future in the last chapter....*looks around again*....shhhhhh... :D

kstorm: Heehee, well, this is going to be part of the dilemma with Grace in this chapter. Should she do something? Say something? Even if she did, how would she prove it?? This is going to be a more dramatic chappy. Hope ya like it!!!! LoL, and yes, it is a jumbled up mess, lol. But it'll all be pretty and tidied up by the last chapter (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, nod, nod) :D See ya next week!

Moonlights Sundance: Heh, Grace is certainly gonna have to make some big decisions concerning what to tell her parents, and Singer, and what to do about it. Thank you for reading!

DD2: LOL, wow!!! Your enthusiasm is wonderful!!!! YAY!!! You will get more soon!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!

ArwenUndomiel: *sighs with relief* oh, good, I was hoping the Grace/Mac scene wouldn't come out too corny!! Thank you! The Harm/Mac convo about their future, was just to kind of put things in their perspective. I'm resisting bursting to tell you what the last chapter is, which is going to answer a bunch of "how" and "why" questions. But I'm holding back, because I love the element of surprise :D. I really wanted to put something with Singer in here. This is obviously before she is deployed to the Seahawk, and before the rift in Sergei and Harm's relationship. But it would certainly make things difficult for Grace now. Should she tell her parents about what is going to happen, or should she quietly try to resolve it herself? And even _if_ she speaks up, her parents would just have to rely on her word alone. There would be no other evidence! So this is definitely going to stir things up a bit. Heh, oh, believe me, I don't want this story to ever end! Grace has been so much fun to write about and it'll be a sad day when I have to put her and the other characters away. But, who knows, with the ending that's being written, there might be some room for a small sequel, *shrug*....Anywho, thanks a lot for reading, and for your always-inspiring reviews!!!!  

MarineJAG: LoL, yes it would be strange!! Now poor Grace is gonna hafta deal!! Thanks for reading!!!! 

CharmedMummy: LoL! You're wonderful!!!! 1-(Mac/Grace convo): I'm glad it didn't come out too corny! I was afraid it would sound fake, but I'm glad you liked it! 2-(Harm's eyes): I do realize he still flies, but he doesn't fly Tomcats as a job anymore, so that's pretty much why I said that. But Grace, as seen in that chapter, did have to make up a few things to cover herself! 3-(Webb/Navy) Heehee, well, it's a lot better than Grace having to tell the truth! Though I'm sure she thinks it would be cool if kids knew that she had ties to the CIA, but it obviously has to be kept all hush-hush. 4-(Added agents): I figured it wouldn't make much sense if Webb were the only agent keeping an eye on her. So having agents as janitors and cafeteria ladies seemed to make sense. 5-(Sergei): That's a good point. I haven't really expanded on Grace's own skills. Speaking Russian and or Farsi would be interesting. I think Harm speaks Spanish...hm, nah, that'd be too much. But perhaps we'll see any talents Grace has with languages in the near future! 6-(Mac/Harm convo): Wow, did Harm really seem that cold? Hm, well, since Harm isn't really the type of guy (or is any guy?) who likes to show his feelings, especially in a public place, I thought it was just. But in the future (maybe this chapter, I dunno, or the next), Mac's going to sit that flyboy down and refuse to let him go until he tells her how he feels! :D 7-(Singer): I had to put this in here. Now that Grace is pretty much situated in her atmosphere, I thought we should bring some drama into the mix. And Singer's murder seemed like the perfect dilemma for Grace to deal with. Should she say anything to her parents? Should she just try to resolve it herself? It's going to be interesting to write! :) Yes, your comments are always helpful!! It really lets me see what's going through your mind!!! Thank you so much!! LoL, and yes, I hope this thing doesn't give me any more problems either! See ya next week!!!!  

e-dog: Hey there! Wow, thank you!! I've been having so much fun writing this, and Grace is a character that's developed into someone I don't wanna put away when the story is finished! But, with how I'm going to end this, it'll leave open the possibility for a sequel. But I'll wait till we get to that point and see what everybody thinks! Adding Singer seemed like the right thing to do. Grace needed something in this story to affect her in a dramatic way, and it's going to be quiet a dilemma for her, as to what she should do with the information she has...Thanks again for reading and telling me what you think!!!!

maggie: LoL, I couldn't resist torturing him just a smidge more. Thank you so much for reading!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*160*~ on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, MAGGIE!!!!! 

beegirl: Haha, thank you! I think that's the most slap-happy scene in the whole story! So after a couple goofy chapters, bringing Singer in seemed like the right thing to do. Now it's a physical and moral dilemma that Grace has to deal with. Should she say anything? Do anything? Who would believe her? It's going to be interesting to write ;) Oh, and to answer your question, Agent Laux is just another CIA agent keeping an eye on Grace and what she does at school. Thanks again!!! See ya next week!!!!!

kiwi: LoL, thank you! Hope ya like this chapter! Hmmm...your questions cannot be answered at this time because I love the element of surprise, which you'll get in the last chapter. And by the last chapter, everything will be explained!!! But...*looks around*...in the last chapter, there is going to be a little jump into the future...*looks around again*...shhhhh....

emokid: Thank you so much for reading and telling me what you think! See ya next week!!!

iloveflyboy: LoL, well, I can tell ya now that the story is updated every Friday. Hehe, I loved writing that convo in the grocery store. Thank you so much for reading!!!

mia: Hey there! *waves back*. Cuttin' it kinda close, eh? :D I figured you were outta town or somethin', or just busy (gee, there is that thing other ppl do...havin' a life, right? :D). I'm glad you came back!!! Thank you. The scene with Mac and Grace, I hoped it wouldn't come out too corny. Everybody said it didn't, so i'm happy now! Thank you! Yes, the Tomcat F-14B does exist. There is also the Tomcat F-14A. I forget what's different about them. I read about them in a book, so it was just tidbits from my memory. Whoa, okay, i had to read what you just wrote, like, three times, lol. If I get what you mean, is it like having Grace confused about things during our time that we have to worry about, but Grace doesn't? Like you said with the AIDS. In Grace's time, I'm sure they have a cure for it, and it's probably not even talked about anymore, so Grace most likely doesn't even know what it is. Wow, that would be interesting. Heh, and as the relationship between everybody grows, Harm is going to have to learn what raising a teenager is all about—including those discussions that us kids can't stand. Omg, that would be funny. Harm trying as best he could to explain that sort of thing to Grace, and Grace totally freaking out! LoL, oh man, i gotta stick that in here somewhere!! Thanks for the idea! Heehee, one of my buds was begging for Sergei to be in there, and hopefully I'll be able to find a spot for him in further chapters! Heh, well, Mac is a little ticked at Harm at the moment for not answering her, so I'll probably have her jabbing at him until he speaks up! At first, I didn't think I'd bring Singer into this because I didn't want that to be the center of the story. But with how I plan to resolve it, I don't believe it'll take up too much room. LoL, oh, I don't want this story to ever end, but there are only so many ideas I can come up with! With the ending I'm starting to write though, and what I have still in my head, it leaves open room for a possible sequel, depending on how everybody feels about my ending. Believe me, these characters are so much fun to write about, and Grace feels like a big sister to me. I'll dread the day when I have to stop playing with them and put my new friends back in the toy box. Thank you for taking your time to write such great reviews!!! See ya next week!  

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody (gobble, gobble!!!)!!!!!!!!!!! On with the story!!!!!

Chapter 7: Sold Out Singer 

2400 ZULU

Harm's Apartment 

North of Union Station, Washington D.C.

Grace took the dish her father had cleaned and wiped it dry. She knew he was talking to her. Saying something about the case he was working on. But Grace's mind was elsewhere. Her thoughts wafted back to when her mother had said her father had been on trial for murder. With the help of NCIS, they were able to prove he didn't commit the crime, but a Commander Lindsey who, as far as Grace knew, was serving a life sentence at Leavenworth. And for good reason. He'd murdered a woman, and an unborn child. But how far away the murder was from now, Grace didn't know. 

"You're awfully quiet tonight." 

Grace stirred and looked at the dish in her hand. She'd been cleaning the same spot on it for the past minute. She quickly dried the rest of it and stacked the plate with the others. 

"Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind."

"Anything you want to talk about?" He asked carefully as he handed her a pot. 

Grace almost dropped the pot. Her father eyed her curiously. "It—it was just slippery." She stammered. 

"Well?" Harm prodded. 

Grace carefully put the pot down and leaned her elbows on the counter. "How well do you know Lieutenant Singer?"

Harm narrowed his eyes. "Singer? Why, did you run into her?"

Grace nodded. 

He turned off the faucet and dried his hands. "Lieutenant Singer is an...office associate...another lawyer."

"I know _who_ she is. But what does she mean to you?"   

Harm sighed. "Well...I wouldn't say we were friends. She's not exactly well liked around the office. Did she say something to you?"

Grace shrugged. "Not really. She just seemed really p-oed."  

Harm scoffed. "Heh, well, that sounds like Singer." 

Grace bit her lip and stared down at her shoes. "Can I ask you something?"

He blinked, pleasantly surprised that she was confiding in him. "Of course."

She backed away and hoisted herself up onto the island counter. After taking a momentt o gather her thoughts, she spoke. "Hypothetically speaking...if—if I knew something was going to happen...something bad...would it be against some universal rule if I told anyone?"

Harm cocked an eyebrow. "..._Is_ something bad going to happen?"

Grace crossed her arms and nodded once. "I—I don't think I could stand by and watch it happen..."

Harm leaned his back against the counter across from her, stress in his eyes. "Are you gonna tell me?"

"I dunno. Because I'm not sure I would be able to prevent it."

"Speak hypothetically again." He urged. 

Grace cracked a small smile, but her visage became serious again. "Okay...say, in a few months, something...perilous will happen to someone. And the wrong person is then blamed for the act. Eventually, the real criminal is captured...but two people are still...fatally affected."

Harm's lips parted as things started to connect. "Singer is going to die?"

For some reason, Grace felt incredible guilt in her stomach. Like she had betrayed someone. She hopped down from the counter, but he grasped her arm. "Grace...is Singer going to be murdered?"

_Why did you talk, Grace? Now he's going to want to know everything!_ "Harm, please. I doubt there's anything we can do—"

"What happened, Grace?" He asked again, cutting her off. 

Feeling the sudden urge to want to complete her chemistry homework, she gently took his hand off her arm and went into the living room.

***

1355 ZULU

Fairfax High

Fairfax, Virginia

Next Day

 Grace went over all the different scenarios that could happen when she would approach Singer that afternoon. She needed to find some way to grasp Singer's attention, and to keep it for a while. From what her parents had told her about the woman, it was very hard to get close to her. And she hardly ever confided in anyone. So Grace would have to find a way to level off with her. Perhaps a certain topic that Singer got worked up about? But no, Singer would never tell her anything about her private life— 

Grace stirred and she sat up in the chair when someone kicked the leg of her desk. She looked up and saw Webb with a sour expression. Grace forced a smile, but didn't get one in return. A few giggles rose out of some of the kids.

"Sorry."

Making a grunt, Webb strode back to the blackboard. Before he could say anything else, the shrill bell went off and the squeaks of sneakers and shuffles of chairs arose throughout the room. 

"All right, do the problems from lesson thirty-seven, and show your work, people!"

Grace lagged behind as the students pushed out the classroom door. Eric waited for her, but she waved him away. 

"I'll see you at history."

Grace waited until the last student left, and the door closed. Webb began to erase the chalk from the board. 

"Can I ask you a question?"

Webb didn't turn around and continued to erase the day's work. "Does it have to do with geometry?"

Grace sat down at the desk in the front row. "No."

"Then I'm not sure how I could help you otherwise."

"Webb—"

"That's _Mr._ Webb...Miss Rabb."

Grace rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair. "Webb, they don't bug classrooms. It's not a security risk."

His frame stiffened at her comment. As he finished erasing everything, he sat down at his own desk and opened a book, thumbing to the page he wanted. Grace sighed.

"I need your help."

Webb glanced up only once, then his eyes snapped back down to the book. "Unless it has 'rhombus' or 'theorem' in the same sentence, I can't help you."

"Someone's going to die." The silence that ensued was agonizing. Webb's eyes stopped moving across the words, and he simply stared at the book.   

"Someone's always going to die, Grace. Fact of life."

"I think it can be prevented." 

Webb huffed a sigh and dropped the book. "What, is it some kid with emotional problems that's been carrying a razor around?"

"It's a lawyer with emotional problems that's going to be carrying a baby in a few months." 

Webb blinked. "Sarah?"

"No." 

The CIA agent thought for a moment more. "Lieutenant Sims?"

"No!" She said frustratingly, "Quit trying to guess, I don't want you to know who it is. I didn't even say she was a military attorney!"

"So she's not a member of the military?"

"I neither confirm nor deny."

Webb shrugged. "Then what do you want me to do about it?"

"Look, she's going to die. And I think I should stop it, but I need more time in the day than I have."

Webb let out a wry chuckle. "Ohh, so _that's_ what this is about. You want a cut back on homework!" 

"Just for this class. Your homework takes up a lot of time that I could use."

Webb picked up the book again. "How do I know that this precious time isn't going to be _used_ with you at some club?"

Grace stood, resting her palms against the edge of Webb's desk. "You're going to have to trust me."

Scoffing, Webb sharply turned a page of the book. "I don't know you enough to trust you."

"But I know _you_." Grace shot back. 

Realizing the depth of what Grace said, Webb calmly closed the book and set it aside. "I don't want to hear anything about my future."

"Well, maybe you should," she hissed, "You're certainly much different fifteen years from now." 

Webb looked like he wanted to cover his ears and sing loudly, but he sat still. "Now that you're a part of this world, anything you tell me can change the future." 

"I'm not that damaging, Clay. Please...trust me when I say it's a matter of life and death!"

"Grace—"

"Damn you, Clay, you're just like your son!"

His eyes enlarged and Grace clamped her mouth shut when she realized what had tumbled off her tongue. The CIA operative who usually always had an answer could only say one thing. 

"S—son?"

Grace swallowed whatever saliva was left in her mouth. She'd really done it now. Just how many more futures was she going to ruin? 

***

2103 ZULU

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

 She'd lucked out. After her slip that morning, Webb had excused her from bringing in the homework, and didn't ask for any more information. Now she had to work out her master plan. 

Grace slipped out of the bullpen and past the elevators to the back offices. Coming upon Lieutenant Singer's office, Grace walked up to it silently. The door was ajar, and she could hear what was going on inside. Singer was on the phone, finishing a conversation. When she hung up, her beeper went off and she sighed. Grace waited, listening. She heard the squeak of a chair and footsteps. Grace all but dove into the office across the hall, luckily unoccupied at the moment. She closed the door enough so she could peek out, and watched as Singer exited her office with briefcase in hand. Once she was certain she was gone, Grace inched out from behind the door, and slid into Singer's office. 

 The room was plainly decorated, and quite boring. Her father's office, in her own time, greatly reflected what meant most to him. His family, the law, and flying. But there wasn't one picture containing the lieutenant and a friend or boyfriend, or any indication of what she loved most. It was like she didn't have any personality. Or she simply kept it well hidden and away from her work. 

Knowing that time was an issue, Grace went to work. She subtly went through the papers on Singer's desk until she found the lieutenant's personal datebook in a drawer. Grace hated sifting through other people's things, but it was for Singer's own good. Grace flipped to the month of November as she sat down in the desk chair. She shook her head. It was all work. Meet with this witness, study up on that. Didn't she have any social life? Grace paused when she came to November 5th, the current date. 

She read it aloud softly. "Ted—1900 hours—my place." Grace cocked an eyebrow. "Who's Ted?" Grace blinked. "Or could he be..."

She put the calendar down and accessed the computer, which had been left open at a Word document. Putting the window at the toolbar, she went to work accessing JAG records from a site she'd seen her dad open. She clicked around searching for names of previous JAG officers that served in the D.C. area in the last ten years. Grace found the name at the bottom of the list. 

"Commander Theodore Lindsey...Ted" She murmured. The girl then smiled to herself, proud of her detective work. "Gotcha, you murdering s-o-b." 

The phone rang making the girl jump. Out of pure habit, Grace picked it up. "Hello?"

"_Lauren?_"

Grace silently swore to herself. "Uh, Guten tag. Erbärmlich sind, wir aus Pizza." With that, she hung up the phone and tried to contain herself from bursting into laughter. 

***

2115 ZULU

Grace peeked out the blinds on her father's office door while explaining what she needed to Eric over the phone. He sighed on the other line. 

"_So lemme get this straight. You want me to drive halfway across town to pick you up, then drive halfway across town _again_ to bring you to some coffee shop so you can spy on someone?_"

Grace scowled. "Stop making it sound so imprudent!"

"_I don't even know what that means, Grace._" 

"Look, are you gonna pick me up or not?"

A pause on the other line. "_Fine. But you're buying._"

"Great, be here at 1800."

"_Translation?_"

"6 PM."

Grace hung up the phone when the office door opened. Her father eyed the phone that he'd seen her hang up. 

"Who were you talking to?" He asked, and then creased his brow, "And why are all the blinds closed?" He went to work opening them. 

"That was a friend from school. Is it okay if he picks me up in a couple hours and we go out for coffee?"

Harm dropped a couple folders on his desk. "Hm, and who is this 'friend'?"

"You know, that guy you wouldn't stop asking me about a few days ago?"

"Does this 'guy' have a name?"

"Eric." 

Harm thought for a moment, but the name didn't ring a bell. 

"You haven't met him." Grace concluded for him. "So can I go?" She half expected him to say, "let me talk to your mother first," but he seemed to think the decision was for him alone to make. 

"I don't think so—" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the look on his daughter's face. Grace knew this tactic would work, because Harm hadn't had the practice of ignoring the desperate pleas of his children when they wanted something. So she made her saddest face, widening her big brown eyes to give that sad, puppy dog effect. She could see the struggle of his emotions as he tore between the concept of keeping her safe and letting her have a little fun. He sighed leaning against the desk. 

"Fine."

Grace made a short squeal of glee and wrapped her arms around him. Before he knew what was going on, she let go and sprinted out of his office. 

"Hey, be back no later than eight!" He yelled after her. 

***

2345 ZULU

Charlotte's Cafe

Washington D.C.

"What are we doing?" Eric asked for the umpteenth time.

"Just park—no, over there." Grace ordered. 

Eric parked the Corolla outside the little cafe, which rested across the street from Singer's apartment. The lieutenant would be there in a few minutes. The two got out of the car, and entered the cafe, sitting at a table facing a big window. A waitress in her late teens came up to them. When she saw Eric, she straightened her spine and her expression was mischievous.

"What can I get ya?" She said to Eric, not bothering to acknowledge Grace.

"_We_ will have two coffees." Grace answered. Eric hid his smile and looked down at the table. The waitress bit her lip. 

"Coming right up." She said as she turned on her heel. 

Eric cocked an eyebrow. "Meow." He said jokingly. 

Grace lightly kicked him and returned her attention to the apartment across the street. 

"So are you gonna tell me now why you're spying on your dad's office associate?"

She told him the half-truth. "I think she's having an affair with a senior officer."

"So?"

"So, that's against the law."

At that moment, Singer's car pulled up and Grace took the camera out of her backpack and took a few pictures. 

"Where'd you get the camera?" Eric inquired. 

"Joined yearbook club. It's the teacher's."

"You stole it?"

"I _borrowed _it." 

Grace put the camera down when Singer went into the apartment. 

"Now what?"

"Now we wait for him to get here. Look for an older guy...he'll probably be in civilian dress."

Eric rolled his eyes. "Like that really narrows it down." 

The waitress came back a minute later carrying a tray with the two cups of coffee. She avoided eye contact with Grace as she set the mugs down. "Anything else?"

"Not at the moment." 

The waitress left without another word. Grace almost spilled the coffee on herself when she saw Lindsey pull up behind Singer's car. 

"There he is. Right on time," She murmured as she took the camera out again, "Thaaat's it, look around like you're doin' something wrong allll you like." 

Grace felt Eric's stare and she glanced over at him. "What?"

"Why does this mean so much to you? It's really none of your business, anyway!"

Grace put the camera away and opened the little pack of creamer, pouring it into the coffee. "It's just something I have to do." That's when it hit her. She looked out the window and her jaw dropped. "Oh, crap."

Eric followed her gaze. "What?"

Grace sighed and slumped down in the chair, realizing her mistake. "I can't prove it! If he, you know, stays all night, I can't be here to take pictures of him leaving the apartment!" 

Eric looked sympathetic at first, but the expression disappeared and he shrugged. "Oh well," he said quickly as he stood, "Nice try, let's go."

Grace shook her head as she sifted through her purse for the coffee money. 

***

0049 ZULU

Harm's Apartment

North of Union Station, Washington D.C.

Harm thought about what Grace said to him the night before. Lieutenant Singer was going to die. She never specified how, but she did mention there being a criminal. And she didn't dispute when asked if she was murdered. Who would murder Singer anyway? An angry client? Or perhaps a lover? Singer never let anyone in on her personal life. Hell, she could be married and the office would be oblivious. 

 Harm realized he'd read the same sentence three times and sighed, dropping the pen and leaning back in his desk chair. Singer wasn't the only person on his mind at the moment. Who was this Eric kid that Grace had gone out with? Harm checked his watch again. 1951. She was cutting it close. It amazed Harm how whatever parental instincts he had seemed to kick into gear all of a sudden. Sure when he dated Annie, he'd loved being with Josh. But it wasn't really a fatherly bond. Truthfully, he felt more like a big brother to Josh than anything else. But he was a younger man too. The boy was still in him at the time. Harm cringed at the thought. Was he really getting that old? Had he changed that much in the last four or so years? Harm tried to imagine himself _seventeen_ years from now. Grace hadn't really told him much about his future self, except that he turned into an all-business-no-fun-two-star. Did he really turn out like Admiral Chegwidden? Not that that was a bad thing, it just wasn't a delightful concept and certainly not what he was striving for. The family photograph popped into his mind as well. Harm had spent about a half hour just studying each of those faces before Grace had interrupted. The face he'd concentrated most on was Mac's. She was still gorgeous. Her hair had hints of gray, but it made her look wiser. Her big brown eyes, something Grace had obviously inherited, were warm and inviting. And her smile. Her lips curved perfectly and crinkled the little lines by her eyes. 

 Harm was almost afraid to look at himself, but it was hard to miss since he was standing right next to Mac. Luckily, he'd barely lost any of his hair, but the receding hairline he could have done with out. Gray had filled in a good portion of his brown hair as well. He apparently was still a runner. He was in shape, which is how he always wanted to stay. 

 The door opened from his right and he straightened in the chair. Grace entered the apartment looking tired and disappointed. 

"Hey."

Grace mumbled some kind of response as she took off her coat and hat. 

"How was your date?"

Grace shot him a killer look, much like the one Mac had given him at the grocery store. "It was _not_ a date." She explained, biting off each word. With that, she flopped onto the pullout bed, burying her face into a pillow. The next moment was awkward. Something had obviously happened on the "date." How would he approach this?

"You gonna be all right?" 

The pillow muffled her grunt. Harm sighed, deciding to start a discussion he didn't want to get into, but was certain it was something every parent had to discuss with their child. Harm got up from behind the desk, and sat in the leather chair next to the bed. He tried to get into a comfortable position, but gave up and just sat back in the chair.  

"Grace...the world is filled with a lot of...bad things. Unfortunately, you'll discover a lot of those...things...in your teenage years. I mean, I know, Grace, I went through the same—okay, not the exact same, but along the lines of the same things you're going through." 

Grace slowly turned her head in his direction, the pillow still covering half of her face. "What the hell are you talking about?" 

Harm blinked. Great. She wasn't catching on. Start over again. "Grace...the world is filled with a lot of..._evil_ things—temptations. I'm not saying you would give into temptation, but peer pressure is, heh, quite strong and—"

"My God, Harm, are you trying to give me the 'talk'?," Grace rolled over and sat up in the bed, her face twisted in anger, "_it wasn't a date, okay?!_" She practically yelled. The girl then looked around the room frantically. 

Harm had been caught off guard with her outburst and he didn't move, like she was some rabid animal that could easily be set off. "What are you, uh, looking for?"

Grace slid off the bed and crossed her arms. "This is usually the point where I run to my room and stay there until dinner," She let her eyes wander to the floor, "there isn't any place for me to run to." 

Harm nodded. "Yeah, not too many enclosed spaces around here."

An idea came to her, but she seemed to be embarrassed for asking. "Instead of me leaving...could you? I mean...just go your bedroom...I'd like some time to myself..."

***

0239 ZULU

Mac's Apartment

Georgetown, Virginia

Mac mashed a spoon onto the ice cream in the bowl. As soon as she got home, she knew she wanted something chock-full of sugar, but now the dessert didn't seem that appealing anymore. Her brain was still racked with the things she'd told Harm at the store yesterday. How could he just shove her off like that? She'd shared justified concerns about their future, and he acted like she was talking about clothes or something. Did he really have nothing to say? Or was it he simply didn't know how to say it? The marine mashed the ice cream with more force as her anger spilled out. 

 The phone rang, and Mac reached over from the couch to the end table to pick it up. 

"Hello?"

"_Hey, Mac._"

She smiled curiously. "Boy, you sound like someone just insulted your meatless meatloaf."

A short chuckle came from the other line. "_Cute, jarhead._"

Mac went through the possibilities of what was causing Harm to feel so down. "Something happen between you and Grace?"

He didn't say anything for a second, and Mac guessed that he was nodding. "_She went on an...outing with a guy. I tried having the, you know, the 'talk' with her, and she exploded._"

Mac cringed. "Ouch. Where is she now?"

"_Oh, she's here. But I've been banned from the living room._"

The marine put the bowl of ice cream down and rested a pillow on her lap. "I don't blame her. I'd _never_ want my father to have the 'talk' with me, setting aside the fact that he was the way he was." 

"_Yeah, I realize that now. So will you talk to her?_"

Mac frame stirred. "Me?"

"_Why not? You are her mother after all._" 

"Well, yeah, I am, but—"

"_Thanks, Mac, you're the best. 'Night_." 

Mac still held the phone to her ear, listening to the hum of the dial-tone.

***

0245 ZULU

Harm's Apartment

Grace listened to the loud bass of a stereo from a car somewhere in town. The beat had been constant for the past four minutes and kept the girl awake. A light was still on in her father's bedroom. He was probably working. He'd crept into the living room a few minutes ago, and Grace pretended she was asleep. He'd gone to his desk, and Grace heard a shuffle of papers, then his soft footsteps back to the other side of the apartment. Then she'd heard him talking quietly on the phone. His words were too muffled for Grace to make out what he said, but she got the feeling he was talking about her. 

 Grace felt guilty for getting angry with him. He had no experience raising a child, and she'd gone into full teenager-resistance mode. Just as she would if she were in her own time. It wasn't fair to him. 

 In a way, Grace was sort of glad that Harm had mistakened her anger as a problem with her "date." Granted she was still mad that he'd tried to push the "talk" on her. But she was actually angrier at the thought that she knew a woman was going to die, and there might be nothing she could do about it. The way she saw it, she had two choices. One, she could try to physically prevent the murder herself. She really didn't want to do that, and risk harm not only to herself, but to Singer as well. Two, she could do this lawfully. Get evidence that Singer was having an affair with a senior officer, and have them both in jail. Though it would crucify Singer's career, she wouldn't be dead, and that's what was important. Only problem was, she needed the evidence to back up her claims. The photographs could only work to an extent. She needed cold, hard proof. Singer and Lindsey's statement for instance. But it was also something impossible for her to get. When did things become so complicated?  

 Grace rolled over in the bed and brought the comforter to her chin, listening as the sound of the bass slowly dissipated. 

***

TBC

***

Omg, am I full. Just finished turkey dinner and...oy vay! I don't even wanna think about food. Hope ya liked the chappy! See ya next week!!

~sancti   


	8. Saving Singer

 Thank you so much for your reviews!!!!!! 

Pissed Off Poet: *grins manically* All a part of the master plan...and I never specified if any of this would affect the future...*"Twilight Zone" theme song plays.* To answer about the JAG clan knowin' about Grace. *sigh*, well, not to burst anyone's bubble, but I don't think all of them will know. *Maybe* I'll let it slip that she's harm and mac's daughter, but fill it in with a story that the commander and colonel have known each other longer than anyone else thought...*shrug* I dunno. If everybody knows, it would kind of take the mystery about Grace away. Maybe some of the staff will find out, but only a chosen few. I haven't really worked out the kinks on that one. Thank you so much for reviewing!! See ya next week!!!!

marineJAG: Thank you! Interesting is definitely what I'm striving for!!!! :D See ya next week!!!!

Lisa Brown: *blink*....*looks around*....*whispers* Are you readin' my mind or something??? LoL, I have the plan all written out and it's gonna kind of happen like that....*looks around*...shhhhh...

cmaf: Omg, lol, you just made me laugh so hard!!! Hmm...I have been wanting a new CD player, some shoes—wait, you were kidding?? Ahhhh, maaaaan. Anyway, on a more serious note (serious...what's that?), thank you very much!!! A new chapter will come every Friday (I am evil, aren't I?)!!!

Hazel: Hey!! Thank you very much!!!! See ya next week! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*170*~ on the review list!!!!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, HAZEL!!!!

carby24/7: LoL, I figured the "talk" would come into this at some point, and that seemed like the best place to have it! Ah, thank you so much! Okay, Commander Lindsey was in the very first season of JAG. He's older (*really* not cute) and has been passed over for the rank of Captain several times, one time on the request of A.J. Ummm...what else has he done...oh, he almost ruined Mac's career. I didn't see that episode, but he prosecuted when I believe Mac's husband died. Also in the 8th season, he was the guy that tried to give the JAG office a bad evaluation. Lindsey doesn't work at JAG anymore and works for the SecNav. I'm not sure exactly what he does. Um, I hope that helped, lol, he isn't in the show very much, but he is the guy who got Singer pregnant and eventually murdered her and framed Harm in the process. Um, just remember he's *really* ugly...and old...I have no idea what provoked Singer to sleep with him. *shudders* yuckerspritz. See ya next week!!!

e-dog: Hehe, well, when I was doing my own geometry homework, and some ideas of how I'm gonna resolve the Singer issue came to me. And I'm tellin' ya, dog, I am so containing myself from telling everyone what's going to happen! I'm so anxious to get the ideas written, but I don't want to have the last chapters of this story rushed through. Thank you!!!! 

Moonlights Sundance: I have the Singer deal all worked out. It's going to be sad, and it's gonna get Grace into trouble, but it will all be resolved. Thanks for coming back! See ya next week!

NavyCB: Yes, it is an intense situation, but with how I plan to resolve it, it won't be a happy ending. Stick around and you'll see what I mean. LoL, so yes, I know exactly where I'm going. Thank you very much for reading and being honest about what you think! It helps a lot!! ;) 

Marines sis: Hey! I love that you love this, lol!!!!!! Thank you for reading!!!!

beegirl: LoL, yeah, Bud sounds like the guy who'd do that, lol! I think at the this point, the Singer deal is going the be one of the most dramatic moments of the story. With how I plan to "resolve" it. Oh man, I love that Grace has all these attributes from her parents, it makes it so much more believable!!! LOL, Lindsey *totally* gives me the creeps. I have no idea what Singer saw in that (if you even wanna call him one) man. Ew is right! Thanks for reading!!!!!! See ya next week!!!

kiwi: Heehee, thank you! Ohhh, man I sOoOoOo wish I could tell you what's going to happen!!!!! Thank you for reading!!!!!!!! 

maggie: Thank you!! A reviewer had suggested I do something like that, and I couldn't resist!!! I can't wait for you guys to read what I've written with the Singer deal. It'll be a surprising end!!!! Thank you for reading!!!!!!

DD2: LOL, I can always count on you for your enthusiasm!!! Thank you so much!!!

e-dog: LoL, yeah, she said in German, "Good day. Sorry, we're out of pizza." Don't feel dumb! Dutch, German, and Norwegian all look and sound very similar! I tried to get it in a Russian translation, but the only ppl I know that speak Russian are either dead or still in Russia :D. And the translation sites stink. Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*180*~ on the review list!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, E!!!!!!!

Chloe: Ah! You shall know very soon!!!! LOL, yes, Grace isn't doin' too well keepin' her mouth shut. But it may just help her in future chapters.... :D thank you for reading!!!

jagchick105: Thank you, jag!!! See ya next week!!!!!

ArwenUndomiel: Hey there! Aw, thank you! LOL, nope *zippers mouth*, I'm not sayin' a thing!! Well, I will tell you she'll try to prevent the murder, but you'll just have to wait and see if she's successful...or not...*laughs manically*....ahem, yeah, I'm all right....anywho...Oh, you're quite welcome! If you ever have any more questions about what happened in season eight, feel free to ask! Spoilers are fun!!! :D *gasp* They stopped showing JAG??? Omg! That's so mean!!!! I'm glad what I'm writing helps!!! LoL, a reviewer suggested I stick in 'the talk' somewhere, and that seemed like a good time for it. :D thx....Ummm....well, I can only estimate, but I think the stuff happening with Singer is, including this chapter, gonna go for two chapters, and then I suppose two chapters for the conclusion. What I want for the end is gonna take up a lot of space, so I've decided to break it up a little bit. So, including this one, maybe four more chapters? Again, it just depends on what happens when I write them, but that's my best estimate! Thanks again for reading and telling me what you think! 

SarahRabb705: Hey! Thank you!! Yeah, Grace can't really do this on her own. But you'll see how it all turns out! Thank you for reading!!!

Pennithil: Hey! Thank you!!! It's okay! LoL, I was like, hey, what happened to your story?? It's going great so far, pleeeeeeeeeease continue!!!! See ya! 

CharmedMummy: Thank you! Hehe, well, my first thought was to have it in Russian, but I don't speak it, and I couldn't find a good translation site. Same with Farsi. I suppose I coulda put, "she said in Farsi, or, she said in Russian," but I knew what it was in German so I used that. And yeah, Mac spoke German in A Tangled Webb part 1. (Lindsey) That's a good point. I shoulda wrote, "she clicked on the name to see his picture," or something like that. But I didn't write the scene with her actually leaving the office, so she could have done that...:D Same with where Singer lived. She could have just looked it up on the same site. _Very_ good eyes though. I missed that too :D Thank you for pointing it out 8^) Ah, thank you! A reviewer had suggested I try something like 'the talk' for a good laugh, and that seemed like the right place to put it :) Thank you! See ya next week!

thinktink2: LoL, I'm so glad you like it! I've been having just too much fun writing it, and you guys are such a motivator! Thank you! New chapters are up every Friday. Expect the next one December 12th! Thank you again!

motormouth: LoL, well, now with the fear of being sued pushing me along, I can guarantee this story will be finished!!! Thank you so much for such nice comments! It means a LOT!!!!!!! See ya next week!

­NadaZimri: Oh, and who said I was going to let her live? *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* :D Brumby...hmmmm....I don't know if I'm going to mention him or not. Grace might ask or somethin'. Good idea! Ah! I'm sick of turkey!!! har, har (MON RABB!!!) :D...uh, yeah, we've lost it.... 8^D 

Mia: Hey there! LoL, I know what you mean! Trying to type something that seems so clear in our heads can often be difficult!!!! LoL, and you are cutting it close again! It's okay though. It's a nice surprise for me to see one last review for that chapter before the next one gets put up! This chapter is the middle of the Singer deal. Next chapter will finish with the Singer part of the story, and will have some aftermath as to what happened. This one is going to be a little longer, and dramatic, and a little sad, but hopefully good. So we'll have this chapter, the next, and maybe two chapters for the conclusion (and maybe there'll be a epilogue!). I hope ya like it! LoL, I'd said I was going to have Grace slip with Webb's son, and I tried to imagine Webb's response. It was funny in my head, I hope it was imaginable enough in everyone else's! :D I know the German isn't correct. I took German for a year or so and I know that "sorry" is actually "entschuldigung" ('scuse the *really* bad spelling), and what I wrote in the story is from a translation site. I knew it was wrong, but I wrote that last bit quickly and I didn't put much effort into making it correct. So sorry! Do you know how to say, "Sorry, we're out of pizza," correctly? If so, plz tell me and I'll re-upload that chapter with the correct version! Thank you again for such nice, helpful reviews! See ya next week!!!!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*190*~ on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, MIA!!!!!!!   

A/N: Just a quick note. I'm not sure if this is something that everybody knew but me, but I just found out that the woman David James Elliot has been married to for the past I think 12 years, is Nancy Chambers, who plays the infamous "Lt. Loren Singer." *shrug* I just found it surprising and interesting!    

Chapter 8: Saving Singer 

0302 ZULU

Robert's House

Virginia

Harriet flipped the pages of the magazine too quickly to actually be reading them. Bud noticed this and glanced over at his wife. 

"You all right, sweetie?" 

Harriet forced a smile and put down the magazine. "Sure, why wouldn't I be?" She then slouched down in the bed and brought the covers up. 

Bud switched off the TV with the remote, feeling one of those, "deep husband-wife discussions" coming. "Have you talked to Grace? The girl Commander Rabb has custody of?"

Harriet shrugged a shoulder. "Well, not really. I've tried, but she—"

"Doesn't like to answer questions." Bud finished for her. 

She nodded. "I mean, it's not her fault. She lost a parent and she can't even tell us who it is...she must be scared."

Bud took the magazine that was resting on Harriet's stomach and browsed through a few pages. "You know, I don't remember Commander Rabb ever telling us he knew someone else in the CIA. I mean someone that closely."  

Harriet turned to her side to face her husband, her expression filled with doubt. "It isn't so much that, but...you'd think a child who's just lost a parent would be more—emotional."

Bud thought about this, his brows drawn in. Harriet cocked her head on the pillow. "What is it, honey?"

Bud seemed surprised at first by the interruption of his thoughts. "I found her in the conference room a few days ago. She was crying, and I asked if it was about her 'parent,' and she just..."

"What?"

"Just kinda brushed it off." 

Harriet took Bud's hand in hers. "Well, we don't know what happened exactly. Maybe she wasn't that close to him, or her? Or maybe she's so distraught by what's happened, she can't even talk about it?"

Bud nodded with strong assurance. "You're probably right," he glanced down at his wife, his assurance dwindling, "but it's still pretty strange. And what about her other parent?"  

Hugging Bud's arm, Harriet continued to think through the different possibilities.   

***

1412 ZULU

Harm's Apartment

Washington D.C.

Grace rolled over in the bed, her senses slowly coming back. Saturday. November 6th. Tomorrow would mark the anniversary of her first week in this new time. Had it only been a week? Merely seven days? It felt so much longer. And just how long was she going to stay here? A few months? A couple years? Grace shuddered at the thought. Everything she ever knew about her family, and their friends, would probably change. Grace felt her stomach knot when she thought about Webb, and how stupid it was of her when she mentioned his son. But it wasn't just him. What about her own parents? Would they grow farther apart with her being here, or closer together? And now the whole dilemma with Singer...

 Grace threw the comforter over her head, and tried to imagine herself in her own bed, in her own room, in her own house, and in her own time. But she got one of those feelings you get when you try to imagine yourself in a different place, and you know for an absolute fact that you didn't go anywhere. It was still nice for her to imagine though. She could picture Isabel sneaking into the room and getting ready to pounce on her to wake her up. She could see her parents in the kitchen, her father standing over her mother as she tried to make her coffee, but unsuccessful as he wrapped his arms around her waist, trying to get her to kiss him. Grace almost laughed as she pictured Jake and Isabel screaming "ewww!" and running out of the room. Grace felt warm inside. Though this experience would go down in her life as the coolest she'd ever gone through, she still ached to feel Isabel run by her and poke her in the stomach, or wake up with Jake standing over her holding that disgusting rat in her face. Or even to be yelled at by her parents. To be told to _do_ something. Harm and Mac didn't do that. Harm hardly ever told her to do anything. If she had displayed that outburst last night to her _future_ parents, she'd have laundry and dish duty for the whole month. 

Soft laughter drifted over from the kitchen. Her mother's laugh. Grace knew it anywhere. Her father's chuckle proceeded. Grace peeked out from under the comforter and saw her parents at the dining table. Coffee accompanied them as they spoke lightheartedly to each other. Grace smiled. They looked like a couple. But Grace knew they were probably discussing work...even on a Saturday. 

 Grace closed the little aperture she'd made, breaking off the cold that had made its way into the comforter, and tried to go back to sleep. 

***

2330 ZULU

Benzinger's Restaurant  

Virginia

Same day

"Alll right, that's a veggie wrap for you, sir...lasagna for you, hon...and a T-bone steak with baked potato, coleslaw, and a side salad with French dressing, ma'am." 

Harm and Grace eyed Mac's meal as the waitress sat the two plates filled with food in front of the marine. Mac frowned, pointing at the meal. 

"I ordered chili too."

The waitress glowered down at the ticket. "Huh. Sorry, ma'am, I'll be right back with that chili."

Mac's frown turned into a smile. "Thank you." She then centered the plate and placed a napkin over her lap. She reached for the catsup, turning the bottle upside down and beating the end of it over her steak and potato.

Harm and Grace exchanged glances, smirking. Mac noticed and put the catsup bottle down. "What?"

Harm just shook his head. 

2352 ZULU

Mac dug through her purse on the way to the ladies' room, not bothering to look up, resulting in her knocking into someone. She stopped short when she saw who it was. 

"Lieutenant, good evening." Mac's eyes widened at the sight. She almost didn't recognize her. 

Singer looked annoyed at first until _she_ realized who had knocked into her. "Colonel..."

Mac shouldered her purse. "You here on a date?"

Singer's frame stiffened. "Why would you say that, ma'am?"

Mac made a half-smile. "You're...dressed up, Lieutenant." 

Singer looked over herself, as if she didn't know. "So I am. And if you'll excuse me, I'm on my way out. 'Night, ma'am." With that, she brushed past the colonel and out the doors into the focal of the restaurant. 

"Good night." Mac murmured. Shaking it away, she went into the ladies' room.

"So lemme get this straight, you really need a search warrant to investigate someone's house?"

Harm drained the rest of his coffee and nodded. "Legally, anyway. Why?"

Instead of answering, Grace peered across the restaurant by the entrance. "Hey, isn't that Lieutenant Singer?"

Harm followed her gaze, his eyes widening for a moment at how Singer was dressed. "Yeah, looks like it."

Grace squinted her eyes. "Who is that with her?"

Her father shrugged. "Dunno, I can't see his face," Harm cringed, "Poor bastard."

Grace frowned. "Why?"

Harm seemed to just realize what he said and he silently chastised himself. "Singer isn't exactly the, well, the easiest person to get along with, and I was just...feeling bad for the guy."

Grace drank some of her Coke, still frowning. Harm bit his lip, leaning forward a little across the table. 

"Look, are you gonna say anything more about what you told me a couple days ago?" He whispered.

Using her straw, Grace poked at the ice in her glass. "No."

Harm seemed disappointed at first. "Grace, I need you to promise me something."

The girl pushed the glass away and gave him her full attention.

"You may think that you're able to handle it, but—you probably can't. So it's best to just stay out of it, all right?"

Grace nodded and smiled, but she had no intention of listening to what he said.  

***

2238 ZULU

JAG HQ

Falls Church, Virginia 

Sunday had come and gone without Harm acknowledging the significance of the day. Grace thought it best not to remind him she'd been there for a whole week. And so Monday morning finally rolled around and adults went back to work, and kids were back in the classrooms. It was an pretty uneventful day at school. Webb had avoided her and pretended she wasn't there, causing the other agents around the school to work harder at spying on her. Agent Laux almost blew his cover though. Two guys got in a fight on the grounds, and Laux tried to stop it. In doing so, he demonstrated his apparent immense knowledge of the martial arts. As he was trying to break up the fight, the kids turned on him and he...rectified the situation. So, besides that, nothing else happened at school. 

 Grace sat in her father's chair in his office, twirling a pen in her hand. She watched the bullpen carefully, waiting for the person she needed, but not necessarily wanted, to speak with. And she'd have to catch her soon. The workday was almost over and Grace couldn't endure another sleepless night. She finally spotted her emerging from Admiral Chegwidden's office. Grace stood, taking the file in her hand. But she wouldn't get very far. Harriet poked her head around the office door and smiled. 

"Hi, Grace!"

Grace stopped. She looked out the window and watched as Gunny stopped Singer, handing her a slip of paper.

"Hi, Lieutenant Sims." Grace replied distractedly. 

Harriet fully entered the office, closing the door behind her. 

No, I don't have time for this, Harriet! 

Singer was reading the paper that was given to her. 

Harriet sat down in one of the chairs and patted the chair across from her. "Sit down, Grace."

She did so, but her head was still cranked in the direction of the bullpen.

"Grace, I realize you don't know me that well, but I know you're going through a tough time right now. So if you ever need anyone to talk to—"

Grace stood, making a quick smile and then heading for the door. "Thanks, Lieutenant, I appreciate it." 

Harriet watched her leave and then stood, watching her follow Singer out the bullpen doors. Harriet shook her head, wondering why _anyone_ would want to rush to talk to that woman. 

***

Grace caught up with Singer, but was greeted with a grouchy, "get out of the way, kid." 

"Lieutenant!" She called after her.

Singer rolled her eyes as she kept on walking. "Are you deaf?"

Grace followed her into her office before Singer could shut the door in her face. The young attorney scowled. 

"Why do you keep following me?" 

"I need to talk to you about something." Grace explained. 

Singer neatly placed a couple files in her briefcase, not really listening to her. "You have the two minutes it'll take me to get ready to leave."

Grace hadn't thought about how she'd start the conversation. She was hoping that the last time she spoke to Singer, the woman was just having a bad day. But it seemed she was always like this. 

"I know about the affair." Grace said bluntly. 

Singer had just snapped the briefcase closed, and her hands were still on the latches. "I don't know what you're talking about." She snapped as put on her coat. 

Grace tossed the file and it landed on the briefcase. Singer stared at it for a moment, apparently afraid to open it. But her fear diminished as she buttoned her coat and slipped her black leather gloves on. 

"Aren't you going to look at it?" Grace prodded. 

Singer picked up the briefcase, letting the file slide onto the desk. "No." 

As she headed towards the door, Grace backed up against it. Singer fixed her with a deadly stare.

"Move." She said between clenched teeth.

"Look at the file."

"No."

"It has photographs of Commander Lindsey going into your apartment after 1900 on a Friday night. I think they're worth a look."

Singer looked like someone had just stabbed her in the stomach and her eyes bulged. But it was apparent that she was more angry than afraid. 

"You've been _spying_ on me?" She hissed. 

"Not really," Grace lied, "I was with a friend in the cafe across the street. I saw you go into your apartment. Then I recognized Commander Lindsey from the _Navy Times _when he was passed over for captain. Why are you doing this, Lieutenant? You know it's against the law!"

Singer's lips formed a thin line as she listened to Grace. But she knew under that mask, that Singer was probably steaming mad. What Grace knew could destroy her career, and whatever reputation she had. But Grace had to keep reminding herself that it was better than Singer getting murdered. Even if she ended up serving two-to-five at Leavenworth. 

"What do you want?" It was the first time Singer's tone didn't sound threatening. 

Grace shook her head. "Break it off. And I won't go to the admiral with this." 

This only ignited the fire that was stirring Singer's emotions. "You nosy little _brat_! You would take this to Chegwidden? What's in it for you?"

"Nothing!" Grace answered honestly. "But trust me when I say it's a matter of life and death! Break it off with Lindsey and I won't say anything!" 

Singer backed up, grabbing the file. Then she came up to Grace, putting her index finger in her face.

"You breathe a _word_ of this, and you'll regret it."

With that, she pushed Grace away from the door, yanked it open, and stormed out. Grace still stood on the other side of the door, a hand on her shoulder where Singer had pushed her. That hadn't gone exactly how she'd hoped, but it got the message across. Grace then reached down into the pocket of her sweater. She took out the tape recorder and pushed the stop button. She now had a statement. 

***

0030 ZULU

North of Union Station

Washington D.C.

Grace and Eric sat on the only rug in the apartment near the door and played the card game, Crazy Eights while Grace rambled about the encounter she had with Singer.

"You should've seen the look on her face," Grace murmured as she shook her head, "I thought she was gonna kill me."

Eric put down an eight card. "Hearts."

Grace scowled and took a card from the deck, luckily getting a hearts on the first try. 

"But did she confess?" Eric prodded as he put a king of hearts down. 

She grunted. "Barely. She didn't deny it...and she threatened my life, so I guess that's enough. And I recorded it."

Eric whipped his head up. "Nuh-uh! You did?"

She just nodded. 

Eric lazily made a circular motion with his hand. "Annnd..."

Grace narrowed her eyes and laughed. "I'm not letting you listen to it!" 

His jaw dropped open in mock shock. "Why? I helped you!"

"You did not!"

"I drove you to the cafe, didn't I?"

Grace cocked her head to the side. "If I took the bus there, would I be giving the bus driver credit?"

Eric shrugged. "That's his job!" Then looking down, he placed his last card on the stack, grinning. "I win." 

The lock on the other side of the apartment door clicked and it opened, knocking into Eric, who'd been leaning his back against it. Eric stood, rubbing his shoulder. Harm entered the apartment, confused at first. When he saw Eric, his eyes narrowed and he glanced over at Grace who still sat on the floor. 

Harm pointed at him, but looked at Grace. "Eric?"

Grace nodded. "Eric."

Eric put out his hand to be shaken. "Eric." He confirmed.

Harm cautiously shook his hand, giving him that look Grace recognized as hostile. She stood, planting herself between Eric and Harm, facing her father. "He was just leaving." She turned her head to Eric, "weren't you?" 

Eric shouldered his backpack and opened the door. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Rabb. See ya, Gracie." 

When he shut the door, Harm locked it behind him and gave his daughter an indecipherable expression. 

"_Gracie_?" He mimicked. 

Grace forced a cheery smile. "So, you and Mac figure out what to do with that case?"

"What were you two doing?" Harm asked, ignoring Grace's attempt to change the subject. 

Grace shrugged a shoulder and nodded her head to the cards on the floor. "Just playin' cards."   

He cocked an eyebrow, apparently not believing her. 

Grace rolled her eyes. "My relationship with Eric is strictly platonic!" 

"Mmhm." Harm answered as he took off his coat. 

"It is!"

***

0130 ZULU

Singer's Apartment

Washington D.C.

Loren sat in the dark, waiting for him to call. She couldn't risk calling his place, there was too much of a chance that his wife would be there. But Loren needed to talk to him. She wasn't one to just back down when challenged, or to feel threatened by a teenage girl, but there was something about that kid. Perhaps she got it from her mysterious "parent" who used to work for the CIA. The kid (whose name Loren couldn't recall at the moment) had a certain...aura that made Loren feel she had to listen to her. 

 Ted would be horrified. He'd probably blame her for talking. But she didn't say anything! She merely threatened the girl! But of course doing that was just a bad as admitting to the crime. Loren shuddered and brought her feet onto the chair, hugging her knees. She would have to break it off. She glanced over to the coffee table across from her and stared at the manila rectangular folder containing the photographs. She didn't completely buy the kid's story about just happening to be across the street in that cafe at the same time Ted came over. Or how she just _happened_ to have a camera on her. Loren also took into consideration when on Friday, she returned to her office and noticed a few things were out of place. And that her Word document, on the computer, was minimized to the tool bar. She was certain she left it open. Loren felt a surge of anger thinking about that girl going through her things. So if she didn't by chance happen to be where she was at the right time, how in the world did even suspect them of the affair? Loren thought it was kept perfectly secret! She even hit on Harm's half brother so if someone suspected her of having a romantic relationship, they'd think it was with Sergei. Loren suddenly shuddered, wondering what Sergei would think of her if he found out. He really wanted something with her, but Loren hadn't meant for it to become serious. Sergei was her backup plan. Now that she thought about it, what she used him for was probably cruel, but necessary. 

 The phone rang and Loren stirred in the chair. She picked it up, taking a deep breath before she said, "hello." It was _him_, calling right on time. 

"No, I can't tonight...I have a lot of work to do...sorry." She softly placed the receiver back onto the cradle. Why didn't she say anything? She didn't want to continue this. She wanted to be free. But it would be hard convincing _him_ to feel the same way.

***

1715 ZULU

Fairfax High

Virginia

Grace and Eric paid for their lunches and set out among the other students to find a table. Eric spotted an empty one on the other side of the room. They maneuvered in between all the kids, securing their trays since it was easy for them to be knocked over. And it only took a second longer for Grace to notice Special Agent Laux, who was re-painting the wall next to the table. He turned his head only slightly and gave her a sidelong glance. But it disappeared as quickly as it came and he continued to paint. Grace pretended not to notice him. Eric could've cared less about the guy. 

"How many days has it been?" Eric asked, noting how quiet Grace was. 

"Three." She replied quietly. "It doesn't look like she took me seriously."

Eric opened a packet of catsup, but squeezed it too tight and it squirted all over his hand. He groaned as he wiped it off. Eric shrugged, rejoining in their conversation. 

"Well, you tried. There's only so much you can do—"

"I'm telling the admiral." Grace murmured. 

Eric shook his head, not believing what he was hearing. "_What_? You're actually gonna rat 'er out?"

"I have to."

"No, you don't! Jesus, Grace, just let it be, will ya?"

Grace cringed as some of the kids at the nearby table turned their heads, giving them odd looks. Keeping her voice hushed, Grace tried to defend herself. 

"Look, you wouldn't understand—"

Eric took hold of his tray and stood. "You're right—only a _friend_ would understand _you_."

And that was that. He stomped away, leaving her feel like a betrayer. 

Agent Laux sighed from a few feet away from her. "So, do you think you have enough evidence for an Article 32?" 

Grace slowly turned her neck to look at him. Her eyes skipped around the room to see if anyone noticed. All the students were engaged in their own conversations. "I think so..." Grace answered hesitantly. 

Laux grunted as he stepped onto the ladder and rolled the paint onto the wall. "Put your hand under your chair."

Grace scrunched her nose in disgust. "No way! There's probably ten pieces of gum stuck under this chair!"

"Do it." Laux ordered without turning to look at her. 

Grace sighed and slouched in the plastic seat, nonchalantly dropping her arm. She felt under the chair for only a second and came in contact with a medium sized envelope taped to the chair. She ripped it off and placed it in her lap. 

"Don't open it here." Laux, who kept on painting, instructed.

"What is it?"

"Better photographs of Singer and Lindsey meeting off duty in various places, each clearly displaying fraternization. That recording of yours should help too."

Grace cocked an eyebrow. "Why are you helping me?"

Laux shrugged. "We're the Central Intelligence Agency—we can do whatever we want." 

Grace caught his use of "we" and she looked around the cafeteria again. She knew there was something up with that lunch lady. And there was a new student around here (who strictly kept to himself) that looked a tad older than 18. He was probably twenty-five, fresh out of the CIA Academy, if there was such a place. 

"As for your friend—"

Grace interrupted him by making a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'll handle it." 

"Might I make a suggestion?"

Grace put her fork down and bit her lip. "What?"

Laux stepped off the ladder and put the paint roller in a metal tray on the floor. "Tell him the truth," Laux put his hands up in defense when Grace opened her mouth to protest, "don't tell him the _truth_ truth, just the truth that's true but isn't."

Grace shook her head quickly. "You lost me." 

"You know, what everybody at JAG thinks is true." 

She rolled her eyes and leaned an elbow on the table, resting her forehead on her hand. "He'll never believe my 'parent' was in the CIA."

Laux made a chuckle as he took a towel and tried to wipe the paint from his hands. "You'd be surprised how many kids here have parents who work for the government." 

Grace made a half smile. "Wouldn't the kids of spooks be in prep-schools or whatever?" 

Laux closed the canister of white paint and shrugged. "Eric isn't." 

She blinked and her jaw dropped. Before she could further question exactly what Laux meant, he took the folded ladder and the rest of his painting equipment under his arms, and strode away with pep in his stride, whistling "Hail to the Chief."

***

2130 ZULU

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Grace had given Singer another chance, but it was hopeless. Singer had completely ignored her. So Grace wasn't going to sit on her hands anymore. But as she stepped closer towards the admiral's office, holding the file tightly in her hands, she desperately felt the need to turn around and just let life run its course. But then a woman would die. And Grace would always feel like the blood was on _her_ hands. Grace kept telling herself that as she entered the side office. Tiner wasn't there. Grace stepped up to the closed, cherry wood door labeled, "private" and knocked. The gruff voice from inside said to come in. Grace turned the handle and pushed the door open. Chegwidden glanced up, his eyes blinking in surprise. He'd obviously expected office personnel and not her. 

"What can I do for you?" He asked cautiously. 

Grace stepped up to his desk and placed the file on top of the papers A.J. had been signing. 

"I think you should take a look at this." 

***

2200 ZULU

"...You did the right thing...you did the right thing...you did the right thing..." Grace whispered to herself as she hugged her knees. 

 She was on the floor behind her father's desk, running a finger over the seams on his leather chair. A few minutes after Grace had left the admiral's office, her parents were called to see Chegwidden ASAP. Feeling like she was going to faint, Grace hid in Harm's office and behind his desk, hoping no one would see her. She did this once when she was little. As a child, she'd always been fascinated by the yellow bi-plane in her father's office. She'd been told repeatedly not to touch it, and she didn't when no one was looking. But of course one time she was left unattended in his office and she saw it as the perfect opportunity to get a close-up look at that plane. Well, as bad luck seemed to strike all curious children, little Grace had dropped the plane while zooming it around the room, resulting in a damaged wing. So seeing no place to go, she chose to lie in wait for her punishment under her father's desk. Of course now it was too small a spot to fit into, so she sat next to the opening, the discomfort of the drawer handles digging into her back. 

 It must have been about ten minutes before she heard the office door behind her open swiftly and close with a slam, the Venetian blinds colliding against the door. Her father only took a couple steps into the room before he stopped at the side of the desk. Grace glanced over and saw his shoes. His feet turned and he leaned against the side of the desk so Grace couldn't see him. 

"You know, I'm fairly certain I told you to stay out of it." He murmured. He was mad. Grace could tell. Her father wasn't one to rant and rave when he was angry. Instead, he would just place all the facts on the table, and make you feel guilty as hell. But Grace didn't need his form of punishment this time. She already felt guilty. 

"I know."

"You realize that you're going to have to testify at the hearing."

Grace responded with the same, "I know."

"Good. Now go to Mac. She's bringing you to my apartment so you can pack a few things. You're staying with her for as long as this case holds out."

Grace gasped and scrambled to her feet. "What are you talking about?"

Harm turned around, crossing his arms. "I'm defending Singer. Since you're testifying against her—"

"I can't believe it! You don't trust me?"

"Oh, I lost whatever trust I had in you about ten minutes ago." Harm walked over to the door and opened it, gesturing for her to leave. Grace's feet stood rooted to the floor for a few seconds. His expression was so cold and it reminded her of when he interrogated her at the CIA HQ...when he didn't trust her. 

 Grace swallowed and grasped her coat that hung over her father's chair and draped it over her arm. She stepped swiftly over to her father, who was still holding the door open. She crossed her arms and gave a true expression of remorse. "Sorry."

He didn't say anything and kept his eyes on the floor. 

***

0030 ZULU

Mac's Apartment

Georgetown, Virginia

Grace inched into her mother's kitchen. Mac filled two plates to the brim with vegetables, macaroni, and sausage. She knew her mother was aware she was in the room. Her head had turned slightly in her direction when she entered the room. Mac turned around though to confirm her suspicions and forced a smile. Grace did the same as she sat down at the kitchen table. Mac came over with the two plates and sat down, not bothering to initiate a conversation. Grace stared at her food. It was her mother's favorite combination. Grace didn't really care for it. She was never one-sided about her food preferences. She'd usually just eat whatever was placed in front of her. But now, she just didn't have an appetite. Grace looked up at her mother. She had her hands in her lap and was also simply staring at her plate. 

"You're not hungry either?" Grace asked. 

Mac made a half smile and shook her head. "For once." She said with a strained laugh.

Grace didn't laugh at her mother's attempt to cheer her up and drank some of her water. Mac pursed her lips and then pushed her plate away, leaning forward with her elbows on the table. 

"Look, Gracie, he's just disappointed. He doesn't want anything to happen to you—"

"Nothing _was_ going to happen to me!" She exclaimed, "I knew what was going to happen, and I wasn't going to stand on the sidelines and watch!"

Mac nodded. "Yeah, Harm told me what you...sort of told him about Singer's future."

"It's true," Grace insisted, "You told me about it."

Mac reached over and grasped her daughter's hand, looking her straight in the eye. "It's going to be tough tomorrow. But understand, the things that Harm's going to ask...it's not personal. He's doing his job."

Grace wanted to believe that. She was desperate to believe it. But she knew that whatever happened tomorrow, would change this crazy life she was in, forever. 

***

TBC

***

*eerie music plays*...*DUN, DUN, DUNNNN!!!!*... :D ...hope ya'll liked it! See ya next week!!!!

~sancti  


	9. Ashes to Ashes, We All Fall Down

 Thank you!!!!!!!!

beegirl: Awww!!! Yeah, it's gonna get a little sad, but dramatic. Ah, I wish I could slow down time so this story wouldn't be almost over!!! LoL, well, I figured Webb found out what Grace was doing, and somehow his heart told him to help out a little bit. There will be some aftermath of his decision in this chappy. LoL, and Eric as a CIA-kid was spur of the moment, it just seemed to make sense! Hey, thank you for reading and talkin' to me!!!! See ya next week!!!

MarineJAG: Yay! I'm so glad you like it! And don't worry, this story will never be late. There will always be new updates every Friday!!!! See ya next week!!

Pissed Off Poet: Well, she pretty much told him in the last chapter. She just didn't say exactly _how_. But it'll all be much better in this chapter! Oh, thank you! When I see Harriet and Bud, I look at the perfect couple. The two of them are so cute together and I want to have them in this more often. Mmmhmmm, seems you're reading my mind...we all know how curious those two get, they'd _have_ to conduct their own investigation :D. Thank you!! See ya next week!!!!!!

Mimmi: Welcome back, mimmi! Glad your computer is up and working again!!! Hehe, well, I have the ending all worked out and some of it written, so there is a plan. And, heh, that is a very good question (will she be sent back at *all*?), and I don't think I'm gonna answer it...just that...life finds a way...*more eerie music plays*...I've grown to become quite fond of Eric, and I'd like to see the relationship between him and Grace expand. But that's all I'm sayin' about that *zips mouth*...And I can't *wait* for you to read about the hearing and what's happening to Singer, so I better shut up and let you read :D !! Thank you again!!! 

Prillygirl: Oh, thank you so much! LoL, you truly never know how many ppl read this unless they review, lol! Thank you so much for reading!! See ya next week!!!

AngelQueen: Yes, that was a little angsty. But Grace and Harm's relationship will improve by the end of this chappy! Do not worry yourself! :D Heehee! Well, to find out the answers to the rest of your great questions, look below :) Thank you so much for reading and telling me what you think! See ya next week!!! 

maggie: Ah! You're questions shall be answered below! :D Thank you! See ya next week!!!!!

DD2: LoL! Well, the wait is over (for this chappy anyway ;)!! Thank you! LOL, I luv you too!!!!!! :D 

Chloe1: Thank you so much! Ah, I couldn't wait to get started writing this chapter!!! Hehe, and you'll also find out who Eric is in the next chapter. Thanks! See ya next week!!!!

e-dog: Yes, it was rough! _I_ feel bad for Grace!! And the German isn't completely correct, but it gets the message across :D. See ya next week!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number *ding—ding—ding!* ~~*200*~~ on the review list!!! *does _big_ happy dance* THANK YOU, E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ArwenUndomiel: Hey! LoL, you're right, I won't tell :D! But trying is always good! You never know, I may just let something slip! :-) Well, maybe _one_ of Eric's parents is in the CIA. Thank you, I luv his character as well!!!! Oh my, I don't think I could live six weeks without JAG. I hope you've taped some episodes in the past to get your daily JAG fix!!! You're right, it is like going back to square one. But read on, and I think you'll like what's gonna happen ;) Thank you!!!! See ya next week!!!!! 

Hazel: Hey there! Thank you so much! See ya next week!

kiwi: Heehee! Yes, we are reaching the core parts of the story! And I can't wait until you read the ending that's coming up (about three or so chapters away)!!! See ya next week!!!!!

Emma15: LoL, I was feelin' bad for Grace as I was writing it!!! Thank you so much! You're right, we haven't seen as much interaction between Grace and her mother, and this will give them a chance to bond some as you'll see in this chapter. LoL, Eric being the son of a spook was kind of spur-of-the-moment, but it worked, so I kept it. Ahahaha, and who said I'd have anything change the future....*more eerie music plays*....*looks around*....shhhh..... :D Thanks again! See ya next week!!!  

#1jagfan: LoL, well, I'll tell you now it's not a dream, you'll see that in the coming chapters. Heh, but there are a lot of things going on at one times, that's what makes it so much fun! Thank you for reading, and I'll see ya next week!!!!

Moonlights Sundance: I know, I felt bad for her as I was writing it! But it'll all smooth out (mostly) in this chapter. Thanks a bunch for reading!! See ya next week!!!!

jagchick105: LoL, yes, things have gotten yet *more* complicated, if that's even possible!!! Ha, and having Eric as a CIA kid was totally spur-of-the-moment, I had no intention of that happening, it just looked really good, and Grace can use that when trying to make up with him. Oh, thank you! Grace is probably my most favorite character I've written about, and I'll hate it when I finish this story (but there may be a sequel!). LoL, well, I must admit, I was up late Thursday night adding a few things, but otherwise, I just work on this right after school (I'm homeschooled) and I can usually get it done by Thursday. But it's been difficult in the past. I've pulled some all-Thursday-nighters finishing a chapter...*looks around*...shhhhh....anywho, thank you again! Oh, you're kidding! You're 16 on Dec. 28th??? Happy early birthday!! Lol, that's my mom's birthday too! I was always jealous as a little kid cause "mommy gots presents before I's did!!!!" (the bad grammar is on purpose :D). See ya next week!!!!

­carby24/7: LoL, you're very welcome! If you ever have any questions, plz ask, and I'll answer them the best I can! Oh, I know, isn't he ugly??? *shudders*, yucky!!! Haha, Eric being a CIA kid was totally spur-of-the-moment, but it just seemed so right to finish the conversation between Grace and Agent Laux. Thank you! LoL, I wouldn't know what to *do* for twenty chapters!!!! I think, including this one, there will be about three more. The last two is a 2-Part conclusion. So it'll be a cliffhanger. But anywho, I'll think about something else that will maybe extend a little and postpone the conclusion. I dunno, I just hafta think about it. Thanks again! See ya next week!!!!!

girlgunner: LoL, I'm very much looking forward to the court scenes. It'll start with a hearing, then there will be enough evidence for a court marshal. But then some stuff is gonna happen, and the court marshal might be...cancelled...lol, Harm and paternal instincts are so funny. I can see him as protective (I'm curious as to how he handles the whole "Mattie" situation...). Hope ya enjoy this chappy! See ya next week!!! 

Nikole1025: LoL, thank you so much!!!! Haha, cliffhangers are the best *snicker*...oh no! plz don't die! *hurries and goes back to writing* Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*210*~ on the review list!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, NIKOLE!!!!!

motormouth: Hey! Thank you! Um, oh, what the heck, you'll read it in this chapter anyway...Eric's _father_ is in the CIA. See ya next week!!!!

Pennithil: LOL, spooky it is, pennit!!! Ah, I can't wait for you to read this chappy, so I'm gonna shut it and let ya read!!!! See ya next week!!!!! 

JagSister: Aw, it's okay! Wow, you're busy!! What's the performance about?? Good lucky with memorizing! Ich, I hate cleaning the house, but it's the "family contribution" which I think I've used earlier in the story :D. Thank you! Eric is such a fun character. You'll see what I'm gonna do with Eric and Grace further into the story. LOL, you guys never bore me!!!! Oh, goody! Plz do continue "Livin' the High Life" and I so wanna know what happens!!!!! Once again, good luck with drama!!!! See ya next week!!

CharmedMummy: *jumps up in down because Mummy reviewed* Omg, I love your questions!!!! LoL, let's start from the beginning! Eric's little secret was completely spur-of-the-moment when I was writing that scene. I thought it would be a nice little twist, and easier for Grace to explain to Eric what everyone at JAG thinks they know. Okay, you so had me really laughing when you said you figured out when nov. 6th would be in 2021. But, since this is staged in the middle of the eighth season, it's more like at the end of year 2002. Because if it were nov. of 2003, then this would be set in the current season. But nonetheless, I must admit I didn't try that hard to figure out what day it would be *hides in shame*, I just picked one out that looked nice in my mind :D. But you have *such* good eyes, pointing out that Harm might have thought it to be a different day, and wondering why Grace didn't say anything. I have to read some of your stuff, you must be an incredible writer!!! LoL, and I learned the word "aperture" from last year's vocabulary book. I don't know how I remembered it, I guess I just liked the way it sounded. Yeah, I know Grace's question about the search warrant was pretty basic, and I could have thought of something more technical, but I admit I didn't spend much time on that part of the chapter. There were so many things I wanted to get down before I forgot them...you know how it is. Um, not sure exactly what you mean with Harriet. I mean, nobody knew Singer was pregnant or that she was having an affair, until, you know. So I'm not sure how Harriet could offer any comfort to Singer. Yeah, I kind of figured Grace still followed them around, kept watch at that cafe, stuff like that to see if Singer broke it off or not. (Answer to your sidenote: I know fraternization charges are stricter in the Marines, Mac got in trouble when she had it goin' on with some colonel, I forget the details, it was an old episode. But then it gets a little complicated. Bud has always been a rank higher than Harriet, but they *were* in the same chain of command before they were married. I know on a carrier, it's strictly forbidden to have any relationship. So, since I'm not a lawyer (aw, shucks), I'm going to assume an officer of considerably higher rank having an affair with a junior officer is illegal (one also must take into account that Lindsey is married). I have access to the UCMJ from a site, so I'm going to look through it to see if I can find anything more about this to help the story)....wow, that was a long sidenote, lol. Ahaha, the questions in the hearing you shall read below!! Oh, and you're not insane! You're brilliant! You catch some things I didn't even *think* of!!! Thank you soooo much, and see ya next week!!!!

A/N: This is my longest chapter yet. Hope ya'll like it. I also want all you folks to remember I'm _not_ a JAG lawyer (ohh, I wish I was, I wish I was!), and the court scenes I did to the best of my ability. :D have fun! 

On with the story!!!

Chapter 9: Ashes to Ashes, We All Fall Down 

1130 ZULU

Mac's Apartment

Georgetown, Virginia

 Mac had insisted on giving Grace the bed, and the marine slept through the night on the couch. Grace was kind of glad. She hadn't slept on a real mattress for nearly two weeks now. The pullout bed at Harm's was okay for a while, but her back was starting to stress a little. And she didn't have the heart to ask Harm to sleep on the couch. But this time, Grace gladly accepted Mac's invitation to take her bed. 

 She heard her mother moving around the apartment, getting ready. It was Friday morning, and the hearing was scheduled at 0900. Grace still thought about the conversation she had with her mother the night before. Harm was going to ask some...difficult questions. Mac also told her that he couldn't think of himself as her father, guardian, or even a friend. In the courtroom, she was going to be the defense's enemy witness, and she couldn't take it personally. Grace was still scared silly though. Even if it was just going to be a hearing. If it moved to court marshal, which Mac was certain of, Grace had a reason to be even _more_ frightened. There would be so many important people there. The judge, jury, all the spectators. Her stomach tightened. 

 But Mac and her went over what her story would be: "She recognized Commander Lindsey entering Singer's apartment, and being as curious as any teenager was, Grace decided to investigate. But she never expected it to go this far." Grace had come up with a story similar to that, and then Mac worked out the flaws.

 Grace sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes. Sunshine fought to get through the curtains in Mac's room, but instead came out the edges, casting the outline of the window on the floor and bed. This day would change her. This day and the next, and the one after that. Grace tossed the covers aside and swung her legs to the floor. She wouldn't let her fear consume her. If she wanted to appear innocent, she had to act like she didn't worry. Because if you _are_ innocent, then what do you have to worry about?

***

Mac knocked on the bedroom door for the third time. "Come on, Grace, let's go! We're leaving in twenty-three minutes!" 

The door opened gingerly and Grace stepped back, letting her hands drop to her sides. "It isn't fancy, but I didn't bring much." She wore bell-bottomed khakis and a cream-colored, form-fitting, turtleneck sweater and the black leather boots Mac had bought for her two weeks ago. 

Mac smiled, looking her over. "That's fine. Now come and eat some breakfast."    

Grace followed her mother to the kitchen, passing the living room, or what was left of it. Papers and books were scattered over the couch and coffee table. A blanket sat crumpled up on one couch, and another blanket had fallen onto the floor. Mac's pillow was also still crunched against the arm of the couch, the imprint of her head still in it. Jingo, who'd been sleeping on the fallen blanket, followed Grace and her mother to the kitchen.

"Has Harm ever been mad at you?" Grace asked as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

Her mother laughed. "Sure, we've both been ticked off at each other one time or another." 

"How long did he stay mad at you?"

It clicked in Mac's head why her daughter was asking this. She put down her coffee, and put her hands on Grace's shoulders so she could speak to her eye-to-eye. 

"Hey...he loves you, remember? What happens in that courtroom today is _strictly business_."

Grace shook her head, shrugging her mother's hands off her shoulders. "He had that look in his eyes, Mac. Just like when—" Grace stopped when she realized the look her father had on his face yesterday, was exactly the same at the dinner table two weeks ago...when she mentioned Vietnam. "Oh, man..." She said tensely. Her body trembled when she thought about it more. No matter what she did, it seemed Grace could still find a way to hurt him. She had kept telling herself that being here was like being given a second chance. But she blew this one too! And she didn't even realize until nearly a day later! Suddenly feeling like the lowest human being on earth, Grace slumped into the chair at the kitchen table. Her mother joined her, a look of concern on her face. 

"Grace—really, you're going to be fine." Mac insisted, thinking Grace was still upset about the hearing. But she was way past that. The hearing was the farthest thing from her mind at the moment. She was more concerned about that fact that despite being granted the ultimate wish, she still managed a way to really tick off her father.

***

1338 ZULU

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Harm watched his client's expression as he told her the bad news. Lindsey had skipped town when he'd been notified about the hearing. Or that's what his wife said. She'd come home to find his clothes scattered throughout the bedroom, and the suitcase gone. And now a warrant was out for his arrest. Singer couldn't have been less interested. She was more concerned about the hearing, understandably. Though Harm thought she might have shown a little grief, but it was like Lindsey didn't even exist to her. 

 Harm had tried to convince his client to deal, but she refused to do any brig time, which he knew Mac was going to offer. Singer wanted to try her luck at the hearing (which undoubtedly would lead to court marshal) and perhaps get away with a dismissal and forfeiture of pay without any brig time. 

 Harm leaned forward in his office chair, going through the files in front of him. Singer sat across from him, her expression deadpan. 

"Looks like our best defense is to bring out your record, emphasize that it's outstanding, and defend your right to continue your job in the Navy despite making a stupid mistake."

Singer scoffed. "But it'll still be on my record!"

Harm's gaze shifted to Singer. "Well, Lieutenant, you should have thought of that _before_ having an affair." 

Singer didn't have a response to that and she crossed her arms, looking down at the floor. 

"Do you want to stay in the Navy?" Harm inquired. 

Singer's head shot up and she straightened her spine in the chair. "Of course I do, sir!"

"Good. Remember that in court."

The lieutenant sighed and rose from the chair, standing at attention. Harm nodded at the door. "You're dismissed."

Without an, "aye, aye, sir," she turned on her heel and left the office. Harm rubbed his eyes, not really looking forward to the hearing. If Singer's affair had come out in a different way, perhaps an anonymous tip, or they were simply caught, he wouldn't have any problem with defending her. But since it didn't happen like that, he was forced into a difficult position. Part of his defense was to discredit the prosecution's chief witness—his daughter. Granted, he was still mad at her, but he understood why she did what she did. Grace knew something bad was going to happen, and without regard to herself, she jumped on it and tried to stop it. He had to give her some credit though, she did do it legally...well, mostly legally. But Harm would never forget the look on Mac's face when the admiral announced that he would defend. Harm couldn't even imagine what his expression was. Mac said it was a cross between just finding out your wife was pregnant but then realizing you weren't the dad. Harm thought it was a strange metaphor, but he didn't even try to question Mac's logic.       

 Harm collected the papers he would need for the hearing, which was in twenty minutes, and placed them in his briefcase. Leaving his office, Harm practiced his opening statement in his head. 

Your Honor, Lieutenant Singer made a mistake. One that she was going to rectify, quietly and privately so as to avoid—

Harm stopped short when he collided with a figure. He opened his mouth to apologize, but froze after he looked down and saw his daughter standing rigidly hugging a small stack of files to her chest. Her lips were also parted, like she was about to apologize, but no words came out and she simply stared. Harm wasn't sure how long they stood there awkwardly, each wondering if they should say something. It must have only been a few seconds, because no one else around them seemed to notice the awkward encounter. And almost immediately, they brushed past each other and continued in opposite directions. 

***

1412 ZULU

Commander Holford's Courtroom

"The government calls Grace Rabb."

Grace twiddled her thumbs in the seat behind her mother. She picked up her head for the first time since she entered the courtroom and looked around. Since it was still just a hearing, there wasn't a jury. But Judge Holford, sitting on that seat five feet off the ground was intimidating enough. And Grace didn't even look in the direction where the defendant's table was. She couldn't stomach seeing her father's or Singer's faces. 

 Grace stood, feeling her knees buckle a little, but she gained whatever confidence was left and walked toward the witness stand. She turned around and her mother came up to her. 

"Raise your right hand," Mac said, "Do you swear that the testimony you're about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?" 

Grace swallowed. She was about to lie under oath. Though her family was never a strongly religious one, her parents still nudged the belief of God onto their children. But Grace couldn't help but think God was standing over her shoulder, shaking His gray-haired head (her childhood image of Him) knowing she was about to lie, despite making this promise to Him. But He had to understand that it could be done no other way. Right? Grace shook away the image of Him, as this huge guy in a white cloak beating her head with a wooden staff.

"I swear."    

"Please be seated."

Somehow, in the process of turning back around and climbing up onto the witness stand, she still managed to completely block out the defense table from her view. Her mother crossed her arms and gave a small smile. Her way of saying, "Here we are, and you're going to be fine. Just keep looking at _me._"  

"Miss Rabb, what were you doing on the night of November fifth?"

Grace opened her mouth to answer but faltered when one of the large court doors opened. Clayton Webb entered and sat down behind the prosecution side, giving a nod to Bud, who was Mac's co-counsel. Grace's gaze fell back on her mother. 

"I was with a friend at a cafe in D.C."

"And wasn't this cafe across from the defendant's apartment?"

Grace nodded, still looking straight at her mother. "Apparently."

"What happened next?"

Grace crossed and uncrossed her hands in her lap, and she was fortunate no one could see them. "I noticed Lieutenant Singer pull up and go inside. Then a few minutes later, Commander Lindsey, in civvies, also went into the apartment."

"So, it was a social meeting?"

"Objection, speculation."

Mac slightly rolled her eyes in Harm's direction.

"Sustained." Holford ordered. 

"I'll rephrase—what did _you_ think Commander Lindsey was there for?"

Grace felt her palms getting sweaty and she placed them flat on her lap. "I—I found it strange, since it was almost 2100 on a Friday night. And it didn't look like he was there for business."

Mac nodded, giving her a boost of assurance. 

"You had a camera with you, is that correct?"

"Yes." 

"You took pictures of the defendant and Commander Lindsey."

"Yeah, I had recently joined yearbook class at my high school. The teacher requested for homework that I take pictures of every day life—in the city, in the park, that sort of thing. I was there for that reason."

Mac backed up to the prosecution table where Bud handed her a labeled plastic bag. She then held it up in front of Grace. 

"What is this?"

"That looks like the tape that I recorded the conversation between me and Lieutenant Singer."

Mac turned to Holford. "May I play it, your honor?"

The woman nodded.

Mac placed it in a small handheld recorder and she stood in the middle of the courtroom as it played. Grace listened to it, taking notice that her voice sounded different when recorded.  

"_If you breathe a _word_ of this, you'll regret it!_" It was the last thing heard before Mac pushed the stop button. The court was quiet for a moment as Mac placed the tape player back on the desk and finally stepped up to the witness. "Grace, did you mean for it to get this far?"

Grace shook her head, but inside, she was nodding. "Not at all."

"Then why did you go to Lieutenant Singer's CO," Mac then held up the photographs, "with this evidence?" 

She shrugged a shoulder. "I suppose I just wanted justice."

Mac nodded and then backed away from the stand. She turned to Harm. "Your witness."

Grace's insides churned. This was it. Harm stood, staring down at the floor for a moment. He then looked up at Grace. It hurt her at first. His expression showed absolutely no emotion. 

"How old are you, Miss Rabb?"

Grace cocked an eyebrow. "Sixteen."

He nodded stepping into the central part of the courtroom. "Are you a detective?"

Grace bit her lip, looking down for a moment. She knew immediately where he was going with this. "No."

"An NCIS agent?"

"No."

"A lawyer, perhaps?"

She glanced back up, the shadow of a smile barely visible on her lips. "No, I'm not." 

"Yet, you found yourself qualified enough to carry out your own investigation. You spied on Lieutenant Singer," He stated, counting her offenses off his fingers, "you invaded her privacy, searched through her personal belongings." 

"Yes, but—"

"You even threatened her!"

Mac leaned forward in her chair. "Objection, speculation and he badgering the witness!"

"Withdrawn." 

Grace didn't like how this was going and she gave her mother a look. Mac nonchalantly flattened her hand over the table, telling her to hold on for a little while longer. 

Harm crossed his arms and Grace couldn't help but think he was looking very pompous at that moment. "Miss Rabb, do you agree that you could've given this information to someone else? A real lawyer, maybe?"

"...I suppose I could have."

"In fact, you could've even done it anonymously! So isn't it true that this was simply a...bid for attention?"

Mac scoffed. "Objection!"

"Withdrawn—Miss Rabb, isn't it also true you had a parent in the CIA?"

Grace's breath caught in her throat. What was he _doing_? Grace made a fleeting glance to Webb who had suddenly become awfully curious and Grace was certain her mother was going to have a coronary.

"Objection! Your Honor, the witness's family is completely irrelevant to this hearing!"

Harm turned to the Holford, his expression serious. "Goes to witness's state of mind, Your Honor. If I'd be granted a little leeway, the court will understand where I'm going with this." 

Holford narrowed her eyes at the former aviator. "I'll allow it, but tread carefully, Counselor."

"Thank you, Your Honor." 

Holford nodded at Grace. "You may answer the question."

She swallowed, preparing to lie again. "Yes, but I'm not allowed to say which one."

"That parent was recently killed, right?"

Feeling she was going to hurl, Grace bit her lip, trying to deter the pain from her stomach. "Yes." 

Harm moved closer to the witness stand. "You often didn't have contact with your parent, did you?"

By the look in his eyes, Grace knew he was telling her to play along. So she blinked, trying to bring on the fake tears. "No, I didn't."

His expression positively horrified her now. What was that in his eyes? Sorrow? Pain? Was he just acting? "So, isn't it true you just wanted to make them proud?" 

Grace caught his use of "them" and realized he wasn't talking about her "parent" anymore. "What do you mean?" 

He was right in front of her now, his expression unreadable. "They're gone, aren't they...and you don't have the chance anymore to show them what you're capable of." 

Grace didn't say anything. She wasn't sure if he was acting anymore. In fact, she was certain he was talking to _her._ Did he really think she did all this just to get his and Mac's attention? That she went through all the trouble and pain just to prove something to them? 

Grace licked her dry lips, the tears building up inside her to the point where she didn't have to fake them anymore. Her lower lip trembled and she felt those tiny muscles in her face twitch. Why was he doing this to her? Grace opened her mouth to answer, but her breath caught and she put a hand over her mouth, trying to concentrate on her breathing.  Finally gathering enough energy to speak, Grace flopped her hands in her lap again, noticing how cold and dry they were. She then focused on Harm, who was patiently waiting for an answer and Grace nodded. 

"I miss them...every day. And I guess doing this...would somehow make me feel like," She paused, not to think up more lies, but just to put together what she was truly feeling, "...make me feel like they could be proud of me one last time."   

Harm made a sad, rueful smile. "But you don't need to try and impress them anymore...they're gone."

Grace fixed her father with a hostile stare. He was making her out to be crazy, yet at the same time giving her a message.  

Harm handed her a tissue from a pocket within his suit, then glanced up at Holford, who stared at Grace with sympathy. "No further questions." 

But Grace wasn't done yet, and her confidence came back with a fierceness. "But that doesn't excuse what _they_ did!"

Harm stopped, turning around.

"Lindsey betrayed his wife," she continued, "his _wife_!" Grace then turned her neck to look at Singer for the first time, tears of anger streaming down her face, "And _you_! _You_ betrayed the very laws that you swore to defend! How can you expect to just walk away from that? _That's_ why I turned you in! You _sicken_ me!" 

 Grace's outburst raised more than a couple eyebrows. The entire court was silent for a good ten seconds. Mac sighed with relief. Harm was almost successful in making out her star witness to be a sad, grief-stricken, teenage girl. But then the kid came back, placing out the facts for all the court to see. Harm seated himself back at the defense table, closing his eyes in defeat. His entire cross-examination was quashed in the twenty-second rant of a teenager. But Grace knew that look. Harm had done it on purpose. He knew full well that she was going to come back at him.   

Judge Holford clenched her jaw, and nodded at Mac. "Redirect?"

The marine shook her head. "No, Your Honor. 

"You may step down." Holford informed the girl.  

Grace's knees felt like rubber bands again as she stepped past her mother and father and sat next to Webb. He didn't look at her and instead continued to study the floor. Grace used the back of her hand and wiped away the stray tears. One thing was certain, she did _not_ want to go up there again.

Holford sighed, crossing her hands over the desk. "We'll recess for lunch, then reconvene at 1300 with my decision." She hit the gavel and stood, triggering the few people in the courtroom to stand as well.  

***

1820 ZULU

Harm rocked back and forth in his office chair, his chin resting on his fist, the court scene playing over and over in his mind. One of the most torturous things he had to go through happened that morning, and Harm desperately hoped it wouldn't go to court marshal, but he knew it was a dream. There was more than enough evidence to convict Singer...who refused to speak to her lawyer at the moment. 

 Someone rapped on the doorframe of Harm's office, shaking him from his troubled thoughts. Sturgis pointed over his shoulder. 

"Wanna have lunch?"

Harm shook his head. "I'll just have it here."

Clearly sensing his friend's torment, Sturgis sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs across from Harm. 

"How are you holding up?"

Harm chuckled lightly. "Like Fort Baxter."

It only took a couple seconds for the Civil War buff to get Harm's meaning. "But Fort Baxter was brutally attacked and defeated." He said, nodding.

"And eventually abandoned." Harm finished for him.

Sturgis made a half smile before becoming serious again. "I have to say, Harm—I've never seen you like this about one case."

Harm leaned forward, crossing his hands on the desk. "It's just she's my—adopted daughter, and having her be a part of this is just too...weird." 

"You're allowed to say 'difficult,' Harm." Sturgis prodded. 

Harm shrugged a shoulder. "Okay, difficult too."

Sturgis leaned back in the chair, observing his friend. "Bud told me what happened in there...interesting angle you took."

Harm cocked an eyebrow. "You're allowed to say 'weak,' Sturgis." He mimicked. 

Sturgis smiled at that, then leaned an elbow on the armrest, lightly tapping his chin. "It is a loser case. And you can ask to drop it. I don't have much on my plate at the moment, I can take it—"

Harm immediately shook his head. "No thanks. I'd like to go through with this." Harm didn't mention the other complications of the case. But Sturgis nodded at the spoken reason Harm gave and stood. 

"Well, I'm off to lunch. Don't want to keep Bobbi—Congresswoman Latham waiting."

Harm narrowed his eyes. "You were going to invite me even though you had a date with Bobbi?"

Sturgis shrugged as he buttoned his Navy trench coat. "I was betting you'd say no." With that, the former bubblehead left with pep in his stride. 

Harm shook his head at his friend's rarely unpredictable nature as he made his way to the break room, where veggie lasagna was waiting for him. When he entered the break room, his senses told him someone else was in there, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone standing at a counter in corner. But Harm didn't look to see who it was and he went right to the fridge. Harm's brow furrowed when he noticed his lunch was missing. He sniffed the air, and immediately recognized the scent of his homemade sauce. Harm stood, slowly closing the refrigerator door. Grace's gaze shifted to him in mid-chew, and she swallowed hard. She put the Tupperware container, barely half full, down on the counter. Harm sighed as he came over and picked up the container, examining it. 

"Did you like it?" He asked jokingly. 

Grace lightly shrugged a shoulder. "I like it more when Mom puts meat in it," She then handed him a carrot stick, "but you can have that, I don't like carrots." 

Harm cringed at her bitter retort. Harm plopped the container on the counter and stared at the carrot as if it were his last meal. "Look, Grace, what happened in there—"

Without delay, she made a noise that resembled a growl. "Aren't we, like, not supposed to talk to each other?"

"We're not supposed to talk about the _case_." He corrected her.

Grace scoffed. "Forget that, just what were you doing in there? You could've taken me apart!" 

"Heh, Grace, I—"

"And what was all that crap about me and a 'bid for attention?' I don't _need_ attention! I don't _want_ attention! What I _needed_ was to clear my conscience!"

Harm reached to put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, but she swatted him away. Then making her hands into fists, she placed them against her ears. "No! No—don't touch me, don't talk to me! Just—just leave me alone!" She practically shrieked the last sentence before she stormed out of the break room, leaving Harm there, completely confused by what just happened. 

 A few seconds later, the door swung open again and Harm half expected it to be Grace coming back to rant some more, but Mac instead entered the room, looking as confused as he felt. 

With her thumb, she pointed behind her. "I just saw Grace, she was crying! Was she in here? Did you say something to upset her?"

Harm had to chuckle. "I—I just came for lasagna."

Mac put her hands on her hips, looking quite annoyed. "What exactly did you say to her?"

Harm ducked his head into his shoulders. "Hardly a thing! She yelled at _me_!"  

Mac scowled, snatching the carrot out of his hand, and then storming out of the room. But she stopped sharply when she almost collided with Singer. The two simply nodded at each other and continued on their way. 

 When Singer caught site of Harm, lunch-less and still utterly confused, she walked up to him, crossing her arms tightly. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

Harm wasn't sure if he could take any more free speech, but he nodded. 

"With all due respect, sir, just what the hell kind of defense was that...sir?"

Before he could respond, the woman continued. 

"Sir, I almost considered firing you and defending _myself_!" Too impatient to wait for an answer, the Lieutenant sighed sharply and left. 

Harm stood in the finally silent room, confused, hungry, and feeling sure to combust if any more estrogen came within a few feet of him. As if his prayers were answered, Bud came in with an empty coffee mug. He nodded at Harm and smiled cheerfully.

"Afternoon—or, almost afternoon, sir." Bud corrected himself when he spotted the clock up on the wall. 

Harm grunted in reply. Bud pointed to the coffee machine behind the Commander. "Sir, if I may?"

"Oh, sorry, Bud." Harm glanced behind his back and slid out of the way.  

As he poured the coffee, Bud took notice of Harm's tenseness, and he put the mug down. "Sir, I have to ask...what happened to Grace's other parent? When you were cross-examining her, you kept referring to her 'par_ents_,' and you used 'them' quite a few times."

Harm blinked, unable to answer. Probably because he half-expected Bud to interrupt him. 

***

1800 ZULU

Commander Holford's Courtroom 

Judge Holford slipped on her thin-rimmed spectacles and asked the defense to stand. Grace nervously bit a nail and Webb slowly turned his neck to look at her. He continued to stare at her until she noticed, and she put her hand in her lap. She suddenly remembered he found it annoying when others bit their nails. 

 Holford crossed her hands over the desk and looked at the Harm and Singer. "Considering the amount of evidence against the defense, I don't believe I have any other choice but to recommend a special court marshal. Opening statements will be this Monday at 0900." Holford picked up the gavel, "This hearing's adjourned." She hit the gavel and stood. Once the judge disappeared into her chambers, a low hum of conversation, mostly from a couple reporters and other spectators, rippled over the room. Harm talked quietly to Singer, who looked angrier than ever, and it was clear Harm was trying to calm her down. Mac sighed and turned around, looked at Grace. 

"Well...that's that. Now I have to prepare for a court marshal." It was obvious Mac was hoping for this case to be closed during the hearing, but there were simply too much clear evidence.

***

2215 ZULU

Mac's Apartment

Georgetown, Virginia

Grace flipped through the channels, surprised at how decent television was compared the entertainment in her own time. Grace had given up on TV long ago, simply because every time she turned it on, there was sex, nudity, and foul language. That was the point when Dad threw out the television and said, "meaningful conversation was a better way to spend our free time." But now, Grace was fascinated with all the different types of programming. Something called "reality television" interested her the most. She found it intriguing that these people could go about their lives, all the while pretending there isn't a camera in their faces 24/7. And eventually, they'd get paid large sums of money for participating. The absurdity of it all is what drew her to it the most. At the moment, she was watching an MTV reality show entitled, "Newlyweds." It was about some famous couple and basically, the cameras followed them around through their house, and when they went to work. Grace was attracted the guy in the show and she hardly ever paid attention to the girl, finding her to be whiny and annoying. 

 But the truth was, Grace was just vegging out in front of TV to avoid doing what she really didn't want to do, but knew it was necessary. Mac was out at the store picking up a few odds and ends to sustain them for the weekend, so this left Grace approximately an hour to get it over with and get back to the apartment without Mac even knowing she was gone. 

 The phone rang for the fourth time that afternoon, and Grace didn't pick it up. After five rings, the machine picked it up and she heard the familiar voice yet again. 

"_Mac, are you there? Pick up, it's Harm. Grace? Grace, if you're there, please pick up._" Grace scoffed and continued to watch the TV, "_Okay, you're not there. Mac, call me back as soon as you can, will ya? I need to talk to you._"

A click was heard and then the machine made a beep that sustained for about three seconds. Grace rolled her eyes at her father's desperate attempts to contact them. Didn't he realize that after such bad incidents, girls needed to be left alone for a while? No, of course he wouldn't realize. He hadn't lived with a girl, except the two weeks with Grace, for a very long time. 

 Finally feeling restless to get her task over with, Grace slipped on her shoes and her jean jacket. Going up to the wall mirror, she examined herself for a moment, raking a hand through her hair. Satisfied enough, she then jotted down a quick note for Mac, just in case. 

Hey Mac, Eric picked me up and we went out to eat. Sorry, I was hungry and Eric was offering. Be back around six-thirty. –Grace

She stuck the Post-It note on the doorframe, reading it over. The little fight she'd had with Eric painfully entered her mind. She made a mental note to call him when she got back. 

***

2235 ZULU

Charlotte's Cafe

Washington D.C. 

Grace drained the rest of her ice cappuccino as she worked up the nerve to go across the street. She'd told the cab driver she'd only be a couple minutes. But that couple minutes turned into several, and the driver left not long ago. Leaving a tip, Grace then stuffed the receipt in her pocket and exited the cafe into the cold, windy street. She crossed the thin street quickly and before she knew it, she was at Singer's front step. It was much like Harm's place. Just two apartments stacked on top of each other. Singer's was on the first floor. Grace glanced over at a big window facing the street, and saw that the dark, heavy curtains were pulled. It was clear Singer didn't want visitors. 

 Grace tugged on the door, but the wind blew hard against it, so she had to work to open it. She then slipped inside, and the door slammed behind her. She cringed. Grace took off her gloves and examined her surroundings. It was a dark, dingy hallway with peeling red paint above the chair-molding on the wall, and brown wood below it. The floor had dulled, thin carpet, much like you would see in office buildings, only it looked about thirty years old. Three lights hung from the ceiling, keeping the short hallway barely lit. Grace didn't like it. She walked gingerly up to the apartment door, desperate to be anywhere away from this creepy hallway. She knocked lightly, suddenly remembering why she was here. She heard a thump from inside, then footsteps. A loud creak split into the air and Grace guessed she was at the door looking out the peephole. There was no sound for a moment, and Grace figured she was trying to guess why in the world she was here. Eventually, she heard the sound of several locks clacking, and then the doorknob turned. What was revealed, shocked Grace. Singer was in total disarray. It was like she went into complete meltdown since that afternoon. She wore gray sweatpants, and an oversized, "US NAVY" T-shirt. Her hair hung loosely at her shoulders, and the blond strands stuck out in several directions. Her face looked like it had aged about ten years, and wrinkles shown where Grace had never noticed before. Her eyes were dark, and bags hung under them. She looked criminally insane, and she fixed Grace with a deep frown. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" Her voice was raspy, but it was still Singer.

Grace lightly cleared her throat. "Can I come in?"

Singer cocked a thin eyebrow and sighed, turning her head to look in the apartment. Singer gave her a once-over, then without saying anything, she just turned around and emerged back into the dark apartment. Grace took this as an invitation, and she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. 

"Lock it." Singer ordered. 

Grace rigidly turned around and examined the four locks. 

"You have to jiggle the deadbolt a little." Singer said as she continued towards the kitchen. 

 Grace carefully locked the door, and then turned around to face the apartment. It was simple. A living room. Further back was the kitchen. To her right a hallway with the bathroom and bedroom. Though dark and a little dusty, the apartment was well kept. Everything was neat and orderly. Grace caught sight of an end table, filled to the edge with photographs. She stepped over to it, and looked at the ones she could see without moving them. She didn't touch them, for fear of being yelled at. So many people. Wedding pictures. Family reunions. Baby showers. Grace had no idea that Singer had such a large family. So where were they? 

 Grace peered around the room. More photographs were on the wall displaying all sorts of people. But then something struck her. There wasn't one piece of evidence that Singer was in the Navy. Grace found it ironic. Singer's office had nothing but Navy-related (though few) decorations, and there wasn't anything that had to do with her family. Here, it was all family, and no work. Grace smiled sadly to herself. She'd discovered a part of this woman probably no one at JAG knew about. This woman had a personal life. People that she loved. And people that loved _her_. 

"Coffee?" Grace stirred and she looked away from a photograph of Singer holding someone's baby. Grace was far too awake from that ice cappuccino to want anymore caffeine. 

"No, thanks."

Singer put down the extra cup filled with black coffee and she sat on one of the maroon couches. Grace sat across from her, her spine straight, and her hands in her lap. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, then spoke. 

"I know you probably hate me right now," Singer didn't deny that and let her continue, "but there's something you should know." Grace paused, waiting for any reaction. Singer just took a sip on her coffee, so Grace carried on. "I didn't do this to...scorn you, or whatever you wanna call it. There's something I know about Lindsey. You see he...he has the ability to kill."

Singer scoffed. "Everybody had the ability to kill."

Grace nodded at that. "But I think in Lindsey's case he's...more of a risk."

The lieutenant narrowed her blue eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Grace sighed, trying to decide how to explain things. "Look...it's hard to for me to describe how I know certain things. Call it a...gut feeling—"

"You think Ted was going to kill me?"

Grace clamped her mouth shut. Singer caught on quick. Then again, no one ever said she was stupid. "I _know_ Ted was going to kill you."

Singer sat the mug on the coffee table and put a pillow on her lap. "He probably will when he finds out I'm pregnant."

Grace's jaw dropped. "Pre—pregnant? Already?"

The lieutenant shot Grace a piercing gaze. Did Singer say that on accident? Or purposely? Grace couldn't tell, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. 

Suddenly feeling a little dizzy, Grace stood. "Can I use your bathroom?"

Singer nodded to the hallway. "The door on the left."

Grace thanked her and left the living room into Singer's hallway. The bedroom door was open, but it was dark inside, the curtains drawn in there as well. Once in the bathroom, she locked the door and turned on the faucet. Grace cupped her hand under the stream and splashed cold water on her face. She instantly started to feel better and continued to thrust the water in her face, not caring as it ran down her neck and into her shirt. Her face dripping, Grace turned off the faucet and stayed there for a moment, her head bent over the sink and her hands gripping the sides. 

 Why was she so scared all of a sudden? Something in her gut quivered, and every time Grace straightened and reached for the doorknob, she found herself going back to the sink, splashing water on her face. A small puddle formed at Grace's shoes as the water ran off her elbows. Grace took the roll of toilet paper and used most of it to dry the floor. When she thought she felt better, Grace reached for the door again, but she gasped and stumbled back, landing on the, luckily closed, toilet seat. A loud whine echoed in her ears, and pain shot like split wires in her head. And somewhere between the streaks of light that flashed in her eyes, she saw the image of a gun. 

 As quickly as the painful incident came, everything stopped, and Grace opened her eyes. The deafening whining ceased, and there were no flashes. It only took a moment more for Grace to realize what just happened. She was four years old and with her parents at the mall. She couldn't remember if it was morning or evening. All she knew, was that she was in great pain, and all she could see was a man with a, "big gun" as she recalled telling her parents. A second later, she'd pointed to a man coming out of an elevator. Mom had seen the weapon first and yelled for everyone to get down. The assailant was confused by what happened at first and Dad and two other men were able to neutralize him before he knew what was going on. 

 Grace believed in this unique sixth sense. And she knew it was in full gear at the moment. But what did it mean? Did Singer have a gun? Was she planning on killing _her_ since she knew of the pregnancy? Grace's questions halted when she heard a buzz at the apartment door, one very similar to the doorbell at her father's apartment. She heard Singer's footsteps as they reached the apartment door. Grace thought she heard her say something, and then she heard the clicks of all the locks. Singer greeted the visitor the same way she'd greeted Grace, only much louder, and with a lot more force. 

"What hell are _you_ doing here?!" 

Grace knew there was something wrong. She stood from the toilet, and put her ear to the bathroom door. The front door slammed shut, the locks clacking loudly against it. 

"Did you really think you could just steal my husband and get away with it, you little slut?!" It was a different voice. A female voice. Grace couldn't identify it. 

"Calm down, Holly, it's over, believe me!"

Silence. Then a click, and one of them gasped. "You're right! It _is_ over, bitch!"

Grace fell to her knees when the gunshot went off. She covered her ears, and squeezed her eyes shut, but she could still hear the second gunshot explode from the living room. For a moment, everything stopped, and Grace just shivered, her head at her knees, and her hands pressed so hard against her ears. She didn't even realize that tears were pouring out of her eyes and cascading down her cheeks, soaking into her blue jeans. The door slammed again, causing every muscle in Grace's body to jolt. 

Silence. 

Grace wasn't sure how long she stayed there on her knees, completely bent forward. Her chest tightened every time she took a breath. After probably a couple more minutes, Grace's neck started to cramp and her ears began to hurt, and she lifted her head up. Her hair stuck to her face from the salty tears, and she brushed it away. Grace put her ear to the door, her teeth clacking. Nothing. The woman had left. Grace got to her feet, her knees wobbly and put a clammy hand on the metal doorknob. No flashes. No loud whine. She turned it, her hand shaking and slipping, and peeked out. The hallway was still darkened. It then took every last ounce of whatever bravery she had to step out of the bathroom. But she must have had a little left over as she inched down the hallway, her hands cupped together on her chest. She peered around the corner. The room was empty. Grace blinked. 

"But where—" Grace stopped walking when she noticed the slow-moving stream of thick, red liquid, inch toward the front door. She stood motionless, watching it flow, until the stream thinned and eventually stopped in front of the door. Grace wasn't sure what propelled her to move forward. It felt like someone was nudging her shoulder and she stepped into the living room. It was not until she got up to the maroon couch, when she saw Singer's motionless, bloody body slumped across the broken coffee table.

***

2330 ZULU

Bethesda Naval Hospital

Washington D.C.

Harm didn't think he'd driven that fast in his life, or broke so many road laws in one night. All that was on his mind was the phone call he'd gotten from Bethesda. "Your daughter was involved in a shooting." However, the only words that ran through his mind were, "Your daughter," and "shooting." 

"I'm coming, Gracie, I'm coming." Harm kept saying it over and over again, as if somehow Grace could actually hear him if he said it enough times. 

 He'd called Mac a few minute ago, and she was hurrying from Georgetown as fast as she could (possibly even faster than Harm). Once he reached the hospital, Harm doubled parked in the parking garage and didn't bother to lock his car as he dove into the emergency room. The place was filled with people, and it was loud. Babies were crying, people were shouting, and some old guy kept pacing the room repeatedly yelling out, "I need a drink!" 

Harm pushed past the crowd of people to get to the counter. "Grace Rabb?"

The nurse only paid half attention to Harm and shrugged. "No, Grace Rabb, my daughter! She's sixteen! Brown hair, brown eyes—"

Harm stopped when he looked over his shoulder down a white corridor. Amidst all the people, he saw one, small-framed girl sitting motionless in a chair. 

Harm muttered her name under his breath and shoved people out of his way. 

"Gracie?" He kept calling her as he got closer, but she never looked up. Her expression was deadpan and she stared at the floor. When Harm finally reached her, he sat on his heels in front of her, cupping her face in his hands. "Gracie? Are you all right? Are ya hurt?"

She blinked, her lower lip trembling. She opened her mouth to speak, but croaked at first. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I—I couldn't save her."

Harm looked over his daughter and noticed all the blood on her jacket and shirt. "Are you okay?" He asked breathlessly. 

Grace seemed confused and she looked down at herself. She put a hand to her shirt, gently rubbing at the blood. "It's not mine." She murmured. She looked up at him again, only this time, tears filled the brim of her huge eyes. "She just—she just shot her, I couldn't—I couldn't do anything." 

Harm gathered her in his arms and she gratefully fell into them, her knees eventually reaching the hospital floor and she wept into his shoulder. 

"No, I'm not looking for the _lab_, I'm looking for Grace _Rabb_!"

Harm turned his head and saw Mac frantically trying to get the nurse to talk to her. "Mac!" He yelled out. 

The marine turned at the sound of her name and bolted over to them. She knelt to the floor, placing a hand on Grace's shoulder. The girl looked over and Mac pulled her up, embracing her. She stroked her daughter's hair and closed her eyes in relief. Harm got to his feet and watched them, but Mac pulled him over, wrapping an arm around his neck. Harm placed his arm on the opposite side around Mac's waist, and they hugged, with Grace stuck in the middle.

***

TBC

***

Okay, I just cried writing those last couple pages *reaches for Kleenex*. One minor note. Monday, my computer is being taken to the computer doctor again. It shouldn't be in that long. However, I'm going to try and still write the old fashioned way. Have a good weekend everybody!!

~sancti


	10. Dare To Start Over

Thank you so much for your reviews!!!!

beegirl: Aw, thank you! I loved writing that chapter, and I think it's a (this isn't ego...) personal best for me. Particularly the last half of the chapter. Anywho, thank you so much again, and I'll see ya next week!

JagSister: Hey there! Aw, thank you! Yeah, I read your next chapter and reviewed! I was just tickled pink when I saw it was up!! Thank you again, and see ya next week!!!

Pissed Off Poet: Well, since Grace's "real last name" can't be revealed, and Harm's "adopted" her, she would take his last name. Everyone knew of her "situation with the CIA." I loved writing those last couple scenes, it was a lot of fun, and saddening. I knew from the beginning that Singer wasn't going to survive, but I wanted her to be thought of as a person before she died. Thank you, I love Fridays as well!!! :D See ya next week!!!

AngelQueen: Aw, thank you! That chapter was a blast to write, and I was a little nervous about the court scene. I'm still don't totally like that scene, but, oh well. Thank you again, and see ya next week!!! Yes, send much luck to the computer doctor!!!

Prillygirl: Well, since everybody found out about the affair, I figured since Ted is such a chicken, he'd skip town, but his _wife_ instead got all huffy. I thought it would be an interesting twist instead of Ted killing her. Thank you so much...see ya next week!!

e-dog: Aw, thank you! Those last couple scenes were difficult to write, but I just tried to place myself in Grace's shoes, and try to figure out how she would react to all this. I'm glad it came out good! :D LOL, personally, I *loved* the metaphor Mac used with the baby and everything, so thank you for noticing!!! LoL, yes, 200!!! LOL, and look! You're lucky (again) number ~*220*~ on the review list!! THANK YOU (again), E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

NadaZimri: LoL, no I wasn't kidding. I really wanted everyone to look at Singer as a real human, and then I figured it would be more sorrowful if she died. I hope I accomplished the sorrow part! :D LoL, okay, lemme be honest with u, I wrote the last 4000 words yesterday afternoon...  8^|  ....so I did it kinda fast. When I uploaded it and looked the chapter over, I noticed a bunch of little mistakes, but by that time, I was too tired and didn't feel like re-loading it :D, bad me, I know...lol, thanks again! See ya next week! Yes, and send lots of luck to the computer doctor!!!!

NavyCB: Thank you very much! "WoW" is good!!! :D Thank you for coming back, and see ya next week!!!!!

Deb: Heehee, it is going to be interesting. The start of this chapter is the cops taking a report. Thank you for reading and see ya next week!!  

Mimmi: Aw, Mimmi, you're gonna make _me_ cry, dang it! :D Thank you so much. I really wanted to show that Singer was a person who cared about other things beside herself. I thought it would make her death more dramatic, which the other reviewers are telling me it is. Oh, thank you for such nice comments, it makes me feel so good!!! Heehee, yes, send much luck to the computer doctor! Oh, and I used the title of that chapter from David  Mathew's song, "Gravedigger." If you've heard it, you'll know what I mean. Anywho, thank you again, and I'll see ya next week!!!

Harm-n-Mac Shipper: Aw, thank you! I really wanted to make Singer into a real person, so that we could mourn a little bit, I thought it would be more dramatic, so thank you :D. And writing the last couple scenes was, I don't wanna say fun, because it was sad, but it felt really good, if that makes any sense, lol. Thank you again, and I'll see ya next week. :)

Hazel: Thank you! It was very interesting to write, and the hug at the end I could picture in my mind and I'm just like, "awww" as I was writing it, LoL. Thank you and see ya next week!!!

jagchick105: LoL, you could never bore me, jag!!! :D Omg, really? How did you get involved with the mock lawyer stuff, that sounds *so* cool??? And you met a real JAG lawyer once? WOW!!! Omg, and you do mock trials? That's awesome!!!!! What kind of trials have you done??? This is blowing me away, it sounds like so much fun! Ohhhmygosh, the court scene was so hard to write. I kept deleting stuff, adding, deleting, changing, switching around, and then I finally went..."you know what, the heck with it, this is the best I can do." So thank you so much though, that really boosted my confidence! LoL, that little scene in the break room was one of my favorites! Glad you liked it too! Aw, thank you. Writing the Singer scene took a lot out of me and I was physically exhausted after doing that, so thank you for saying that, it makes it all worth it. ;) Oh, geeze, I just got done watching "A Merry Little Christmas." Wasn't that episode wild?? I was like, there's no way the father could get custody, he's a drunk! And it totally shocked me when they said they would place Mattie in a foster home and all that, but the ending was very sweet. LoL, yeah, that's good for having a birthday right after xmas. I've used that tactic quite a few times (forgetting something at xmas then getting it for my birthday). It works well! :D LOL, oh! oh! I want Harm for my birthday too!!! *giggles* Ah, anywho, thank you again SOOOO much, and I'll see ya next week!!!!! 

DD2: Haha! Thank you! I can't believe I did that either, lol!!! See ya next week!!!

carby24/7: LoL, thank you! Writing the court scene was very difficult, and I halted writing the chapter for two days trying to figure out how to make it come out half-decent. I'm so glad you liked it! LoL, I was thinking that 16 years down the road, reality television would've probably faded away and seeing how risqué television already is, I can't imagine what they let in front of the camera several years from now. Thank you for taking notice of that, ;) LoL, oh, I wish I could write twenty more chapters! My estimation was off a little bit. There will be this aftermath chapter, then the two-part conclusion. LoL....you'll pay me money, eh?? Hmmm *taps chin*... :D .....I absolutely loved the last scene, with the hug, and it's probably my favorite out of the whole story, so thank you. And thank you again, your continued support means so much to me, :D. See you next week. 

Chloe: Thank you! Yes, there will absolutely be a scene with Grace and Eric workin' things out. See ya next week! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*230*~ on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, CHLOE!!!!!! 

Nikole1025: Aww, *hands Kleenex*...lol, boy would I love for this to be a real episode!! :D Thank you for reading, and see ya next week!!

ArwenUndomiel: LoL, I know, and the chapter was going to be even longer and then this chapter was going to be part one of my two-part conclusion, but I was so physically exhausted when I was done writing chapter 9, that I just couldn't do anymore. So you can an extra chapter here, then the two-part conclusion (and perhaps and epilogue or even a sequel, who knows!). LoL, I've always despised Singer, but I couldn't pass up the drama her death would bring to this story. And yes, Grace is going to have to get through some tough times with all this. LOL, okay, wait until the next chapter, and I will all the harm/mac shippers will be *very* happy, okay? :D LoL, and all your reviews are always inspiring!! Oh, All Ye Faithful was a good episode! LoL, and memorizing it isn't too wacky, I've done that before when I've had JAG withdrawal (u know, the channel that shows reruns instead shows some golf tournament for a whole week *rolls eyes*). But I can't imagine what you're going through! How many weeks has it been??? Thank again, Erin, and see ya next week!!!!

Pennithil: Bah! Time restrictions stink! :D But thank you for telling me ya luv it!!! See ya next week!!!!!! 

motormouth: Aw, thank you! I thought it would be more interesting if the wife came after her instead of Lindsey. Does Singer live?....*solemnly shakes head*.....lol, hey thank you for sending your best wishes to my computer, ;) 

Moonlights Sundance: Heh, yup, she still dies. I thought it would be too, you know, a predictable ending to that part if Grace saved her. Yeah, Grace has some tough roads ahead as you'll see in this chappy. Thank you for coming back!!!! See ya next week!!!!

Cassie: Heh, well, yeah, fate is an interesting thing. We'll see fate at more work in the next chapter too! LoL, I couldn't help but stick somethin' in there about reality television and I just though, "hm, Newlyweds, that would be funny." Thank you!!!! See ya next week!!!!!

MarineJAG: Thank you! LoL, I'll always have the chance to finish this! ;) see ya next week!

Maggie: LOL, thank you! WOW is very good!!!! I thought it would be different to have his wife kill Singer instead of Lindsey. And it would add more salt to Grace's wound as well (poor girl, the things I do to her…:D). Thank you very much, and see ya next week!!!

CharmedMummy: Hey there! LoL, cliffhangers are fun, but certainly evil. :D…haha, anywho: Lol, my brother just got through finals week, so I'm fairly certain I know whatcha been through. I'm sure you did great! Well, the reason Harm and Mac didn't get angry in court, was that both of them had to have heard the tape before it could've been admitted into evidence. Perhaps they got upset before *shrug*? I just didn't do a scene for that one :D. Haha! The Civil War fascinates me, and when Sturgis said, "How you holding up?" I knew I wanted Harm to answer with some kind of metaphor that had to do with the War. Thank you so much for noticing! LoL, the lines where Harm wouldn't answer Bud were kind of a joke. Since he'd just been in three hostile conversations, and he wasn't really listening to Bud, it was just a little joke. But I see what you mean. I didn't really like how I finished that scene, I'll probably tweak it when I finish the story and re-load it with something else. Thank you for pointing it out!!!  Ohh my gosh, Grace at Singer's apartment is my favorite part of the chapter, and perhaps the story. It was emotional for me to write it and I had such a good time doing it. Thank you :). Yes, I had a suggestion earlier in the story to include the sixth sense that Mac has. As the story went on, I couldn't really find a good place for it until I hit that scene. Thank you! LoL, yeah, Harriet did punch Singer which, in my opinion, was one of the best scenes for Harriet in that season! Aw, yes, I _love_ your reviews!! And I'll see ya next week!! Good luck with finals and enjoy your vacation!!!!!!!!! 

On with the story!!!!

Chapter 10: Dare to Start Over 

0030 ZULU

NCIS Headquarters

Washington D.C.

No matter how long she'd held her daughter's hand in her own, Mac still couldn't get it warm enough. The girl was ice cold. Mac and Harm sat on either side of Grace on one side of the metal table and Detective Vinci was across from them. Vinci was an average sized man in his late thirties. He had a strong jaw and dark, thick hair, suggesting his Italian heritage, and an accent that unmistakably came from Brooklyn. But he was a man who had seen many crimes and his eyes held a perpetual sadness. 

 A few minutes ago, another detective entered the little room and announced to Vinci that Holly Lindsey had been apprehended, and Mac knew that Grace was going to have to be a witness to yet another trial. But Mac wasn't so sure Grace could handle it. The girl had gone into a freeze mode. Almost like a zombie. For a moment, she'd be with you and talk pretty easily, but then slip into almost a wakeful coma. Mac wasn't sure what thoughts passed through the girl's mind, as she'd stare blankly ahead. At the moment, she was willing to talk. 

"Why were you at the victim's home in the first place?"

Grace lifted up her head, then turned it to Harm, who nodded at her. She moistened her lips before answering. "I needed to talk to her." 

Vinci wrote the information down. "About what?"

Grace shrugged a shoulder. "I think I went there to apologize."

Vinci nodded, as if he actually understood what she meant, then asked the next question. "You were in Singer's bathroom, and that's when Mrs. Lindsey came?"

Grace's grip on Mac's hand tightened. Mac squeezed back to try and comfort her. "Uh-huh."  

"Did Mrs. Lindsey say anything to Lieutenant Singer?"

Grace looked down at the table, like she was afraid to say it. "I think she told Singer that she wasn't going to get away with stealing her husband," Grace stopped, her voice choked, threatening tears. Harm placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her another reassuring nod. She continued, "Singer tried to calm her down, but then Lindsey said it was over and she—" Grace chose not to provide the obvious information and instead concentrated on getting her breathing back to a normal pace. 

Vinci finished copying down Grace's answer. "That should be enough for now." Vinci waved over another detective who was in the small, square room. "Why don't you bring Miss Rabb and the Colonel to the front lobby. I'd like to talk to the Commander."

Mac looked back and forth from Vinci to Harm. "Um, I may not be Grace's guardian, but she means as much to me. Anything you have to say, I want to hear."

Vinci thought it over for a few seconds and then nodded. "Fine. Morris, just escort Miss Rabb then."

Grace pulled her father's leather jacket tightly around her as she stood and slowly followed the detective out of the room. Once she was gone, Vinci put down the notepad and slumped a little in the metal chair. He then slightly turned his head in the direction in which Grace left. 

"Stuff like this isn't so uncommon," Vinci stated, his voice sounding more relaxed then it did before, "I used to work for D.C. police and I met kids who witnessed abuse and death all the time. It's not easy to get through."

Harm bent forward, crossing his arms on the table. "I realize this will be difficult for her—"

"There are programs," Vinci interrupted, "support groups for kids like Grace. Because everybody takes this stuff differently, kids especially. Some get moody, even violent. Others do the complete opposite and shut down emotionally. So the best advice I can give is to recognize the signs early, and get her help as soon as possible. We don't want this incident to stay with her all her life."

Mac pursed her lips and lowered her head, making Vinci shift his gaze towards her. "Colonel?"

Mac glanced up quickly. "...I'm sure these programs are...nice, I just don't think Grace needs to be exposed to all the other horror stories from other kids. She needs to deal with her own in the safety of her home...and family."

Vinci bit his lip, and he fixed Mac with an emotional stare. "Colonel, I grew up on the streets of Brooklyn. My ma worked three jobs just to keep us in a two-room apartment next to a crack house. My best friend's father was a dealer, and he watched his dad get whacked in his own apartment. I tried to get him to go to groups and everything, but he refused and killed himself a few months later," silence ensued in the little room, so Vinci continued, "now I'm not saying Grace is the suicidal type. You guys have to make that assessment. But her knowing that she's not the only one gives a lot of comfort." 

Mac didn't say anything to that. Harm rested his chin on his fist, and then brought his arm back down to cross it with the other. "Do you have some...brochures?" 

***

Grace watched Detective Morris go back into the lobby elevator. Grace didn't like him. He had large, wild eyes and it was shocking to look at him at first. But Grace felt a little better once he was gone. Grace let her eyes wander the lobby. It was much like a city bank. The ceilings were quite high and the floors were marble. People in business suits buzzed about in every direction. It was kind of strange since it was nearly eight-thirty on a Friday night. It made her nervous. But that was stupid. She never felt uneasy in public places. In fact, she seemed to thrive on all the people and the movement. But now, she'd hear shoes clacking at a rapid pace and it would make her jump. Grace shuddered at the thought she'd just made. So many things had changed since the morning. She'd woken up, frightened of a simple hearing. It seemed so childish to her now. There were so many more things in the world that were a danger to her, and she'd been afraid of standing up in front of a couple people and lying. Now she had to deal with another realization that spun around her head all night. 

 Why was Singer shot? Because Holly's husband skipped town. Why did Lindsey run away? Because he heard about the Article 32.

...Why was there an Article 32? 

Because Grace opened her big mouth. 

It came together so clearly..._she_ killed Singer. So Grace didn't pull the trigger, but she might as well had. The thought put a heavy weight in Grace's chest, and she gripped the front side of the bench tightly. If she had only worked a little harder in convincing Singer, she might have gotten this whole thing resolved quietly, and without Holly knowing about the affair. 

It was _her_ fault. 

Grace leaned back in the bench, bringing her feet up and hugging her knees, so she could hide her tears.        

***

0330 ZULU

Harm's Apartment

North Of Union Station, Washington D.C.

 "She must be exhausted." Mac murmured as she sat down in the leather chair. Harm sat, or more like flopped, into the chair across from her. At Mac's comment, he turned his head to the bedroom. When they had all entered Harm's apartment, Grace, took an hour-long shower and then without a word collapsed onto the master bed. It looked like Harm had the pullout bed for the night. 

"Yeah, I'll let her sleep in tomorrow." 

Mac took a sip of her hot chocolate, keeping her gaze on Harm. He eventually felt her eyes on him and he turned to her. He knew what she was saying and Harm nodded. 

"She'll be fine. She just needs some time."

Mac set the mug on the end table and placed a pillow in her lap. "Harm, I don't like the idea of her in some 'support group' either. I don't want her to have to listen to everyone else's stories when she has her own to deal with, but..."

"But you think she should go anyway?" Harm finished for her.

Mac pursed her lips, looking away. "One of the groups Detective Vinci mentioned was right in her school. Maybe we should just tell her about and see what she thinks."

Harm put his elbow on the armrest and placed his forehead in his hand. "I just can't believe this is happening."

"I know. But I've sort of accepted that anything is possible." Mac said with a small smile. 

Harm knew she was right. Recent events proved that she was. But still, that didn't mean _everything_ had to go wrong. Now Harm was disturbed...no, not disturbed...just plain _mad_. He needed something to cheer him up. 

Harm let his eyes wander around the apartment, searching for something to make him feel better. But what frightened him the most was that his gaze kept coming back to the woman seated across from him. 

*God, she's so beautiful*.

Harm blinked. Where did that come from? The sailor suddenly felt very uncomfortable and he looked away from Mac, as if she'd know what he was thinking. 

"What are you thinking about?"

Harm stirred. Why did she have to ask that? He shrugged, trying to appear casual. "The funeral's next Sunday."

For a moment, it seemed Mac was disappointed, and she looked down to hide it. "Yeah, the admiral contacted Singer's family. They're flying in on Thursday." She paused, sighing, "I can't imagine how hard it must be for them."

Harm glanced across the apartment at the bedroom. "You think Gracie will go?"

Mac hung her head disapprovingly. "You can't be serious…" She warned. 

Harm met his partner's eyes. "It might give her some closure." 

"Or it might set her off!" Mac pointed out. 

"She could regret it for the rest of her life if she doesn't go."

Mac shook her head as she stood from the chair. "It's getting late. It's been a crazy day, I'm gonna head home." 

Harm walked her to the door, handing the marine her coat. "I'll call you tomorrow."

Mac mumbled a, "You better," under her breath as Harm watched her leave. 

***

1532 ZULU

Harm's Apartment

Grace slowly opened her eyes and took in a deep breath. She smelled laundry detergent. She loved when sheets and pillows smelled like laundry detergent. Grace gathered another breath filled with the lovely scent, and she smiled happily to herself. But the smile disappeared when she heard the gunshot. On impulse, she threw the sheet over her head when the second fire rang out. Suddenly, everything that happened the day before came crashing down on her at full speed, and she closed her eyes and covered her ears as the unwelcome images flashed before her. But then she heard something different. It was her father's voice as he cursed to himself. Grace shot up in the bed in time to see a metal bowl rolling towards the apartment door on its side. Harm, shaking his head, chased after it before it fell over. He bent down, snatching the bowl, and turned towards the kitchen, but Grace's upright figure caught his eye. 

"Good morning." He said with forced gaiety.

Grace moistened her lips. "Hey." She eyed the bowl curiously. 

Harm's gaze flickered from it to Grace. "Sorry if I woke you. Had a disagreement with the pots and pans."

Grace made a half smile. "I was awake. It just startled me."

Harm sighed, and it looked like he wanted to talk, but wasn't sure how to approach the topic. "Look, Grace, I know you just woke up, but…" Harm let his voice trail off as he inched into the bedroom. 

Grace rubbed her eyes as she sat up straighter in the bed, pulling the sheets up. "I heard you and Mac talking last night."

Harm stopped at the foot of the bed and sighed. "You did, huh?"

She nodded. "I didn't mean to. There's kind of, like, this tunnel of sound," Grace tried to form a tunnel with her hands, "that carries your voices alllll the way over here." Her father gave Grace a spectacle look as she tried to defend herself. "I wasn't eavesdropping!"

"Well, what did you hear?"

Grace pursed her lips and looked down at the bed. "I wanna go to the funeral." 

Harm's eyebrows rose. "Really…"

Grace crossed her arms, still staring at the bed. "I mean, I don't _want_ to go, but I think I should for…well, like you said, for closure."  

He stood there thinking about it for a moment, staring down at his reflection in the bowl. "Gracie, are you absolutely sure—"

"Yes." She said defiantly. But her insides were twisting. She could imagine Singer's casket being lowered into the ground, knowing that the person who occupied it had been a healthy, living human being just a couple days ago. 

Grace snapped back to attention when Harm sighed.

"All right—"

The knock on the door interrupted him and he sat the bowl on the bed before heading for the door. Grace grabbed her duster next to her and quickly put it on. Harm held the door open and stared at whoever was behind the door. He then looked over at Grace and backed away from the door into the kitchen. Grace suddenly wanted to bury herself into the covers when she saw Eric emerge into the apartment. Eric closed the door slowly and bit his lip as he slowly stepped into the bedroom. He looked so..._sad_. Grace drew her knees up and quickly raked a hand through her disheveled hair. Realizing she couldn't do much with her appearance, she just crossed her arms and stared down at the bed. 

 Eric rubbed the keys in his hands, obviously nervous. "Hey." He said softly as he stood at the foot of the bed. 

Grace kept her head bent forward. "Hey." 

Eric sniffed and took a tissue out of his jeans pocket. "Stupid cold." He murmured. 

She nodded, folding the edges of the blanket. "Yeah, there's a nasty bug going around."

The young man sniffed again, then coughed. "Yeah, it's bad this year."

The silence was agonizing, and the two whipped up their heads at the same time. "I'm sorry." They said in unison. Grace smiled a little and Eric chuckled softly. 

"I'll go first." He volunteered. 

But Grace shook her head. "No, let me."

He didn't argue, so Grace continued. "I know I haven't been very truthful lately. And I haven't let you in, when you deserve to know what's going on—"

"Grace, you don't have you—"

She put a hand up to silence him. "Lemme finish...Eric, I had a parent in the CIA, who died not long ago. Harm is my guardian," Grace didn't look up to catch Eric's expression. She was afraid to see what it was, "So I've been a little insane the past couple weeks. I was obsessed with solving the Singer case. I think I was...using her to ease my own pain. To take my mind off my parent. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Then I went to apartment, and you know how that turned out..."

Grace finally looked up, but the first thing that caught her eye was Harm's shadow on the other side of the closed vertical blinds. Grace grabbed the bowl on the bed and flung it at the blinds. Harm immediately backed away into the kitchen. Grace then focused on Eric, who sat on the end of the bed, his back to her, and his head in his hand. She crawled over and sat next to him. 

"Are you okay?"

He didn't respond at first and it felt like forever before he turned his head to her. "I had no idea it was you at Singer's apartment. The news never specified who was with her."

Grace's jaw dropped and her mouth went dry. "You—you didn't know?"

Eric shook his head quickly. He took in a few deep breaths and looked straight at her. "I'm sorry I wasn't there with you." The next thing Grace knew was Eric's head had dropped onto her shoulder, and he hugged her tightly. Grace wrapped her arms around his neck.

"It's okay," She whispered into his ear, "I'm okay."  

 ***

1630 ZULU

Arlington Cemetery

Arlington, Virginia

Ironically, it was one of those windy, deathly chilly days, but warm enough to produce rain rather than snow. The drizzling rain came down suddenly like small pellets, causing obvious discomfort for everyone at the burial. Yes, it was very much late November. The month simply couldn't be complete without its strange and unpredictable weather. 

 Grace stood mostly behind her father's tall figure, which happened to be facing the wind, but she poked her head out from behind him so she could see. A Navy enlisted man brought the bugler to his lips as the famous sad, slow song, "Taps," echoed throughout the cemetery. Grace lowered her head as the song played. She was usually good at hiding her tears, her fear of being seen crying was what often built a strong resistance. But her defenses had literally crumbled since a week ago, and the tears flowed freely down her face. Mac stood next to Grace, her hands crossed and hung loosely in front of her, but she grasped Grace's hand, trying to let any strength she had pass through to her daughter. 

 The casket team leader then started to fold the flag. The ceremony of folding it took a long time. Every fold was carefully done. When it was done, the chaplain bent over to give it to Mrs. Singer. The woman, in her late fifties, gently took the flag, running her hand over it as the tears fell down her face. A younger woman, who stood behind her, put a gloved hand on her shoulder and squeezed it tenderly. Mr. Singer stared down at the casket, his tall forehead furrowed as if he was still trying to make sense of everything going on. There must have been at least thirty people behind Mr. and Mrs. Singer. They all dabbed their eyes with tissues and lowered their heads as the chaplain prayed aloud. 

 The amount of military personnel that attended the funeral was much fewer. There was of course Harm and Mac, and Admiral Chegwidden, Sergei (who looked especially distraught), the Roberts, Gunny, Tiner, Coates, and a couple others from JAG headquarters. Most of them looked uncomfortable, not because of the rain, but the reason for being here. Grace had to applaud them though. There weren't many who liked Lieutenant Singer, but somehow, Grace figured she would be pleased to know these people had come. 

Once the casket team left the gravesite, everyone turned around, the ceremony now over. All except for the one soldier, the vigil, whose mission was to remain at the grave until the body was interred into the ground. Harm instinctively took Grace's hand as he and Mac followed the large crowd towards their cars. Admiral Chegwidden stepped up to the Singers before they got into the limousine. He shook each of their hands. 

"I'm Admiral Chegwidden," The ex-SEAL said with a comforting smile, "we spoke over the phone. I'd just like to say you have my deepest condolences."

Mrs. Singer nodded, swallowing her tears to speak. "Admiral, I know our daughter was not easy to get along with. But she loved the Navy. And whenever she called home, she always spoke fondly of her friends at JAG Headquarters." 

A.J.'s smile started to slowly diminish, but he held it. "Is that right?"

Mr. Singer nodded his gray head. "Yes, Admiral. All of us live in Montana, and Loren never got to see us very often. But you and your staff were like a second family to her. Thank you for that."

The Singers said thank you again, and turned to go into the limo, but Mrs. Singer stopped when she spotted Grace with Mac and Harm behind the admiral. Her eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn't happen to be the girl who...found my daughter, are you?"

Grace cocked an eyebrow and looked up at Harm, who quickly glanced away. Grace looked Mrs. Singer in the eye and shook her head. "No."

Both Mac and A.J. shot Grace a look, which she ignored. Mrs. Singer sighed in what sounded like disappointment. 

"Hm, too bad. I would've liked to have thanked that girl for being with Loren during her...last moments." Her voice threatened more tears and her husband put a comforting arm around her shoulder. 

Grace felt Mac's arm nudge her, but the girl refused to say anything. 

***

The Corvette inched forward behind the admiral's SUV as Harm and Grace waited in the long line of cars that were still lined up in the cemetery. The rain came down harder now and the only sound in the car was the rain tapping on the roof, and the windshield wipers swishing back and forth across the glass. Grace watched them carefully, now having memorized their rhythm. At the moment, her head was cocked to the side and resting on the cold, passenger window, and her arms were folded over her black wool coat. She didn't dare look over at Harm. She didn't want him to start a conversation. Specifically one about her going to that support group. She didn't need support. She needed to be secluded for a few weeks. She needed to forget all the blood, and that look of horror that was frozen on Singer's face. Grace shook the gory image away. Singer's last moment was not something Grace wanted to think about, but she couldn't help running it through her mind over and over again. 

"Come on, Loren, just hang on for a couple more minutes!" Grace said between heavy sobs. She then grabbed another pillow and pressed it against the bullet holes in Singer's chest. Loren jolted a little, and Grace knew she was in incredible pain. Blood dribbled out of the young woman's mouth and Grace looked away, squeezing her eyes shut. Gathering back her strength, she jerked her head around and stared into Singer's face. There was so much fear in her bright blue eyes. Her faced blanched, making the blood that ran out of her mouth, and the red dots on her cheeks grow darker. And suddenly, Singer's gaze shifted to Grace, and she stared right at her. Her red lips moved and Grace hesitantly bent down. She could feel the uneven exhales from the woman against her face, and Grace closed her eyes again, just listening for whatever Singer wanted to say. In the midst of the woman's gasps for air, she said something that resembled, "Thank you." But Grace wouldn't accept that. Why did she deserve any thanks? She'd gotten this woman killed!

"Why—why would you say that?" Grace asked breathlessly, "For what, Loren?" 

But Grace knew she would get no answer. Singer's gasping stopped, and her hands ceased to tremble. Grace leaned back up into a sitting position, and studied Singer's face. Grace cringed as she placed her hand over her eyes, still wide with fright, to close them. And that was that. It was over. But not for Grace. She was certain she'd live in torment for the rest of her days."

The windshield wipers squeaked loudly causing her body to jolt. Harm caught her sudden movement and gave her a sidelong glance. 

"You okay?" He murmured just loud enough. 

Grace hadn't told Harm or Mac about that last moment with Singer, and she didn't plan to unless necessary. "I guess. I've—I've never been to a funeral before." She watched her breath fog a patch of the passenger window, and she brought her hand up to it and started to draw a rough doodle of a jet. 

Harm turned to look at her. "Grace?"

Unsatisfied with the jet, Grace rubbed it away, and then refolded her arms. "What?"

"I just want you to know I'm proud of you for coming. That took guts."

Grace slowly lifted her head from its position on the window and looked right at her father. "To tell the truth, I was more afraid of being left home alone."

She didn't expect her comment to have such an impact on Harm. His mouth parted slightly, and his eyes widened. After a couple seconds, he clamped his jaw shut and snapped his gaze to the slow moving SUV in front of them. Grace observed him for a moment. What was that all about? 

"Mac and I talked about something else last night too."

*Oh, no. God, please, no.*

"And we think maybe you should go to this support group at your school." 

That was the limit. Grace sat up in the seat, her mouth agape. "What?! Forget it, I'm not going!"

Harm sighed. "Grace, I've woken up every night this week because you were crying in your sleep! You—you still won't go to school, you zone out, get moody, and just now you revealed you're afraid to stay home alone!"

"It's been barely a week!" Grace exclaimed. "Do you expect to me just get over this right away?" 

"Of course not! Which is why I'm just asking you to consider this group!"

Grace stuttered trying to find a way out of this. The very last think she wanted to do was tell a classroom of strangers what she went through. She couldn't even tell her own parents! But she couldn't find anything to come back at him with. So now she had to plead. 

"Please don't make me go, Harm. Please!" 

It was clearly torturous for him too. He was battling with his fatherly instincts, and wanting to stay her friend. The fatherly instincts were winning. 

"Grace, the trial against Mrs. Lindsey is next week. They need you to be stable enough on that witness stand to give your testimony!"

She rolled her eyes as she slumped down into the seat. "I'll be fine." She snapped, biting off each word. 

Harm sighed sharply and pulled the Corvette out of the line of cars to the side of the road. He rested his elbow on the window, his hand rubbing his temple. 

"What happened when Singer was dieing?"

Grace scoffed. "What do you think?"

Harm narrowed her eyes at his daughter's harsh reply. "You tell me!" He retorted with as much attitude. 

"I don't wanna to talk about it!" She threw back. 

Harm scoffed incredulously, looking away out his own window. He watched Mac as she slowed down her own Corvette upon seeing their car. She gave Harm a curious expression and he nodded, signaling her to go ahead. 

"Look, Grace," Harm continued, his voice at a calmer tone, "I didn't like the idea of you going either. But if it's going to get you better—"

"I'll get better on my own!" 

Thunder rolled in the distance and the wind blew wet leaves along the ground, threatening the storm to become worse. This wasn't how Harm expected this to go. When Detective Vinci mentioned the different behaviors of some kids, he hadn't expected Grace to be one of the difficult ones. Judging by her personality, he predicted her to fall silent and stay secluded. But she was being just plain unreasonable. And she was anything but quiet. 

"You're going." Harm said, his tone filled with a military discipline, "and that's final."

Her expression was stone, and her eyes were cold. "The hell I am." 

With that, Grace opened the door and strode out into the ever-growing storm. Harm was in complete shock as he watched her stomp into the grass and start down the long rows of graves. Harm unbuckled his seatbelt and took off his cover so it wouldn't get wet. Then he exited the Corvette and jogged to catch up to Grace.

"Where do you think you're going?!" He yelled over the wind. 

Grace whipped around and rolled her eyes as she continued down the aisle of white tombstones. "Anywhere!" She yelled back.

Harm grasped her arm and pointed back towards the Corvette. "Get back in the car, now! This is crazy!" 

Grace wrenched her arm out of his grasp. "Don't you get it?! I can't do this anymore! I'm tired of being here, I'm tired of living this—this, whatever the hell it is!" She was screaming now, the wind blowing her hair in a million directions creating the effect that she looked insane, "Three weeks I've been here, and I've already killed someone! I hate this! I hate it!"

Harm shook his head. "What are you talking about? You didn't kill anyone!"

Grace pointed at Singer's gravesite, several yards away. "What do you call that?! *I* caused it! *Me*!"

Harm blinked away the rain that beat against his eyes. It was pulling together now. Everything. Grace really believed Singer's death was her fault. Without much warning, Grace then fell to her knees in front of Harm and wept. She pulled at the wet grass and wept until she had no more tears to shed. 

***

TBC

***

This chapter was slightly altered after I posted it. I was up late last night trying to finish it, but was kicked off the computer. Hopefully you all got this better version!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY!!!!!!!

~sancti


	11. Hotel Oscar Mike Echo, Part 1

Thank you for the reviews!!! 

Pissed Of Poet: Heh, Mr. Webb is sometimes hard to put in. I find I need a really good reason to have him show up, or it doesn't seem realistic. To tell the truth, I couldn't find a spot for him. I suppose I could've had him elsewhere in the cemetery during the service. Anyway, that chapter was written until a lot of pressure. I didn't have access to my computer for two days, and I hate to say it, but it was rushed through. Sorry if you got that feeling! Anywho, lol, yes, Grace can be very stubborn. And I really wanted to show the breakdown of her psyche. It might have even come on a little strong. Oh well, thanks a bunch! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*240*~ on the review list!!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, POET!!!! 

Kiwi: Aw, thank you! LoL, yes, a lot has happened *wipes away sweat*...can't....write....lol, nah, I can. Thank you, see ya next week!!!

NavyCB: LOL, don't let the week go too quick!!! I hope you had a great Christmas too, thank you so much!! See ya next week!

Kstorm: Haha! Welcome back! Well, FINALLY, after much wait and many questions, about half of them will be answered in this chapter. Thank you for staying interested!!! See ya next week!

JagSister: Aw, I know, I feel bad for Grace as I write this stuff. LoL, and yes, Singer's death is just fate, I believe. LoL, I love having Harm all protective and spy-like. Lol, I think every girl's dad does the same, but you're right, I've never thrown anything at mine, either, :D. Thank ya very much, and I'll see ya next week!!!!! 

DD2: AH! Yay! My most enthusiastic reviewer! Oh, just wait until you read this!!!!!!!!! Thank you, and see ya next week!!!!!!

NadaZimri: Hey, there, girly. Yeah, Grace very much needs some normalcy back in her life. LoL, there will be sooooo much happening in this chapter, since it's part one of the conclusion. You'll be surprised! Yes, I really did want Singer to appear as a human being, and not just the wicked witch of the West. LoL, Bellie....I was hoping you would have forgotten that one by now, lol. Naw, it's all good. See ya next week!!!!!

Hazel: Ah, yes, very emotional. Hey, congrats on the winter break! Sleep in now!!! :D see ya next week!

Nikole1025: LOL, a novelist, now that's an idea!!!! Heehee, thank you. Eric is quickly becoming a favorite character to write about. Hope you had a happy holiday!!! See ya next week!

Sunchaser: Hey there, welcome back!! Aw, I feel for Grace too, lol. It's so emotional for me to write these chapters. Thank you, and hope you had a great holiday!

Chloe: Hey there! Yeah, Eric's father is in the CIA. This chapter will expand a little more on that. So sorry, I didn't do much with it after it was mentioned a few chapters ago. There was just so much going on, I had a hard time finding a good place for it. Thanks again, and see ya next week! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*250*~ on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, CHLOE!!! 

Jagchick105: WOW, so the mock trials are a LOT like that episode on JAG when Harm and Mac helped those kids at the academy, with the actors and everything! How long have you been doing it? Ah, and the JAG lawyer you had was cute too??? *smiles dreamily* Lol, and you dress up, do national competitions, geeze, it makes me excited just reading about it! Oh, it sounds like so much fun. I think I'm gonna look around and see if they have stuff like that in the local high school or something. What got you interested in it in the first place? Hey, and you have a very Happy Birthday too. Thank you so, so much, and cya next week!  

e-dog: Aw, thank you! I was thinking about what Grace might have went through after she discovered Singer and everything, and I thought we should see exactly what happened. So thank you for mentioning that, ;) See ya next week!!!

Mimmi: Aw, I know. The last couple chapters have been quite depressing, haven't they? Oh, thank you for such nice comments, it makes me feel so good!!! I really liked having the storm in there, I thought it was a good way to make it more emotional. Thank you for noticing that, :D. Oh, Eric has quickly become one of my favorite characters! I just wanna hug him! :)...Oh my, the details are hard to balance. I'm never sure if I'm writing too many details or not enough, so I'm glad you've pointed out that they're good. Thank you! Happy holidays and see ya next week!

Lisa Brown: LoL, well, I'm glad you're enjoying it! I didn't want this story to come out too corny or, because I know there have been a lot of kid stories in this section. I hope this is unique enough, because I've put a lotta work into it. Thank you, and see ya next week!

Maggie: Yeah, I thought I should stick the "second family" bit in there. My main mission was to make Singer as human as possible. Ah, well, I hope you enjoy this chapter, because stuff is sped up a bit! Thank you, and see ya next week!

#1Jagfan: Ah, yes, I really wanted Grace's personality and traits to reflect her parents. And we all know how Harm constantly takes responsibility for things he doesn't really have to. Thank you for noticing that! Hmm, well, with this chapter, we've kinda sped ahead a little bit. But there will still be some aftermath from Singer's death in this. You'll see what I mean. So I better stop talking and let you read! :D See ya next week!

Girlgunner: I love Eric! Thank you! I was hoping that moment wouldn't come out too sappy or anything, so thank you :D. Ohhh, yeah, there's some chemistry between Harm and Mac. Heh, well, you should trust your gut feelings, but this is part one of the conclusion. See the author's note below for more on that. Thank you for reading, and see ya next week!

CharmedMummy: Hey there! Once again, great questions! I'll answer them in order. 1(Agent Gibbs): Truth is, I thought about using Gibbs, I haven't really been watching NAVY NCIS very much, so I wouldn't be very comfortable writing about a character I hardly know. 2(Mac and the support group thing): You caught on right away. The exact reason why Mac was a little against it was because of her own problems, and thinking Grace didn't need it. Well done, ;) 3(Harm/Mac moment): LOL, I'm evil, aren't I? Don't worry, this chapter will satisfy all shippers! 4(Eric): I wrote this chapter at midnight Thursday night, and wasn't giving my complete attention to it. When I re-read the chapter on ff.net, I really didn't like that Eric had "wept" either. The word just kinda stuck there and I didn't do much with it. I'm in the process of tweaking that and using your suggestion with his eyes bein' teary, but not actually crying. 5(Arlington scene): That was a very difficult scene to write. I needed a balance of emotion between Harm and Grace, and I know it didn't come out quite right. But I put Harm's comment in there on purpose. I wanted to give the effect that Harm was still this guy trying to figure out how to deal with kids. Only now, he's got an ever more emotional kid and it's going to be hard for him to figure out how to say things right. Harm is used to laying things out as he sees them. Unfortunately, he did that at the wrong time and directed at the wrong person. :D Once again, something I should have elaborated a bit more on in the chapter, but I was half awake when writing that. 6(Last scene): Thank you, I might have been half-awake, but I do rather like that last little scene, showing how Grace has gone into breakdown mode. Thanks again, and hope you had a happy holiday and a nice new years!!!

Pennithil: LoL, machines can be dumb sometimes, I know :D. LOL, you shall get ur fill of Harm/Mac romance in this chappy! Thanks, and see ya next week!!! 

Carby24/7: Oh, no, I didn't think it was that much of a cliffhanger!!! :D....I'm evil, aren't I? :D...Oh, thank you very much for complimenting my writing. I need to hear that too!!! And I get exactly what you mean about who would kill Singer if Grace went back to the future. Heehee, well, you'll just have to wait and see....MUAHAHAHAHA...*cough...*hack*...ughhh....no more evil laughs for me...anywho....hope you had a great holiday and you got everyone you wanted as well!!! (A Harm!!!! :D :D :D)!!!!!!!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*260*~ on the review list!!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, CARBY!!!! 

Moonlights Sundance: Oh my, thank you. I find it a constant challenge to...emulate (my new word, it sounds cool, doesn't it? :D) Harm and Mac. Thank you for telling me it sounds real!!!!! See ya next week! 

ArwenUndomial: Hey there! Ah, you're cuttin' it close :D. It's okay, just as long as I don't get scared thinkin' you don't like this anymore :). Yeah, Grace really fell into shambles in the last chapter. But she's better...though not healed...but better in this chapter. LOL, and don't worry, our Harm/Mac shipperness will be totally fulfilled in this chappy, I promise ;D. Oh my, Arwen. You know, I did very much like All Ye Faithful, but I don't think I could watch it more than......a dozen times. Then I'd get a little frustrated. I wish they would put JAG episodes on DVD. That would reeeealy make me happy :D. But hang in there, you'll make it!!!! Aw, and thank you. I very much like this story and having you guys help me along makes all the work so worth it :). Thank you, and see ya next week.  

A/N: Hello my nice readers. Well, we've reached part one of the conclusion. I realize chapter ten was probably a little rushed. My computer was at the computer doctor's and the amount of days I was left to write wasn't very many. I was up until nearly midnight Thursday night trying to finish it, so sorry again if it was rushed. Anywho, remember, this is part ONE of the conclusion. The next chapter is the last!!! But if it goes the way I'm planning, there is certainly room for an epilogue and or sequel. Thank you all again for your continued support. It means so much.

Little Disclaimer: The song, "Everything's Not Lost" belongs to Coldplay, blah, blah, blah... 

Chapter 11: Hotel Oscar Mike Echo, Part 1 

1505 ZULU

Rabb Home

Georgetown, Virginia

Oct. 25th...

Nearly One Year Later...

 Grace twitched in her bed as a chilly breeze stirred the tiny wind chime at her window. She opened an eye, but squinted as the morning sunshine filtered into her room. Feeling a chill pass through her, Grace hugged the comforter tightly and brought her knees up. She listened to the wind chimes as they clattered softly, producing high notes. Grace had forgotten that her window was open. She'd opened it yesterday because Dad had finally finished painting her room, and the stench of paint was thick in the bedroom. Now you could barely detect it. Grace rolled over on her back, breathing in the fresher air. She loved Saturday mornings. The laziness of it all. Of course Dad never took advantage of it. He'd be up and out early for a run. By the time it hit eight o'clock, he was completely ready for the day. Grace could hear the floorboards creak downstairs as he walked around. A pot clattered on the floor and Grace heard him swear curtly. She grinned. He was certainly aggressive in the kitchen. Then again, her father had said it took him a long time to get used to a new kitchen. Even though they'd been using it for nearly ten months now. 

 Grace kicked the covers away and swung her legs to floor, feeling a shiver pass through her. She went over to the window and shut it, having had her fill of fresh air for the morning. She grabbed an Old Navy sweatshirt and pulled it over her tank-pajama top. After stretching her arms, Grace opened her door to have her nostrils assaulted by the smell of pancakes that drifted up the stairs of the small, two-story house. After using the restroom, Grace clomped down the wooden steps that hadn't been carpeted yet. 

 The scent of food became stronger as she pushed open the swinging door that led to the kitchen. Her father stood hovered over the stove, flipping those pancakes. He saw her out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, sleepyhead."

Grace grunted and sat down at the kitchen table in the middle of the room and examined the front page of the dispatch. "Where's Mom?" 

Her dad slid a pancake onto a dish on the counter. "She and Harriet are shopping for her wedding dress."

Grace straightened in the chair instantly. "What? I told her to take me with her!"

Harm shrugged. "She didn't want to wake you."

She groaned and let her head fall onto the table. "This stinks." 

"That may be," He said distractedly, "but these pancakes are good, and I made too many of them." Harm stacked three fluffy pancakes onto a plate and placed it in front of Grace. 

"Now eat."

Grace picked up the knife and sliced a sliver of butter. "I heard the phone ring this morning, who called?"

Harm brought a cup of coffee and another plate of pancakes to the table. "Oh, right, Daniel called."

Grace's fork fumbled out of her hand and it clattered on the plate causing her Tabby cat, Merlin, to trot out of the room. "_Again_?"

"He asked that you call him back." Harm murmured as he poured syrup on his pancakes. 

Grace groaned. 

"I thought you resolved this whole thing between you and Daniel...we don't want a repeat of Wednesday."

Grace huffed and leaned back in the chair. "It's not _my_ fault he sang "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" to me from the JAG parking lot."

Harm stifled a laugh by shoving a piece of the pancake in his mouth. "And after that, I do recall the Admiral then ordering that the 'relationship' be 'terminated.' "

Grace drank some of her orange juice. "It was never a 'relationship' to start with. He just wouldn't leave me alone."

"What's Eric's say in all this?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, he thinks it's hysterical."

Before Harm could respond, the phone rang and Grace's eye got large. She leaned forward and whispered. "Tell him I'm not here!"

Harm smirked and went over to the phone on the wall. "Hello?" His gaze shifted over to Grace, "...yeah...sure, hold on..."

Grace's mouth opened in shock. Harm brought the phone over and handed it to Grace, whose face was twisted in hate. Grabbing the phone, she sighed before putting it to her ear. "...hello?" Grace's frame relaxed and she gave her father a nasty look, "Hey, Nancy." Harm chuckled softly and went back to his pancakes. 

"Yeah, Daniel called again...no, I was asleep, thank God..." Grace continued talking as she left the kitchen to sit on the stairs. 

As Harm went back to eating, his meal was disturbed again when his cell phone rang. Sighing, the attorney stepped over the stretched phone chord to get to his cell phone on the counter. 

"Rabb."

"_Hey, squid_."

Harm smirked as he put the griddle in the sink. "Jarhead." 

"_Gracie up yet?_"

He chuckled. "Barely. She's on the phone with Nancy."

A pause on the other line, and Harm could here the muffled voices of shoppers in the background. "_Is she mad at me?_"

"For not waking her to shop for one of the most important parts of our wedding? No, she's perfectly content."

Another pause. "_Good point_." 

"She'll be fine, Mac. Did you find a dress?"

The marine sighed. "_Yes._"

Harm stopped as he was about to put a plate in the dishwasher. "Uh oh, that doesn't sound good."

"_I found a perfect dress...I just don't think it's within our budget._"

A small smile played across Harm's lips. "Mac, it's a wedding. There's no such thing as a budget. Just get whatever you need."

Harm wished he could see the grin on his fiancée's face. "_Thank you, Harm. I needed to be reminded that._"

"No problem."

"_So are you getting ready?_"

Harm chuckled. "I'm doing dishes, Mac."

"_What? Harm, I told you last night you had to bring little AJ to the tailor to be measured for his tuxedo!" _

Harm nearly dropped a plate. "What?! I don't remember that!"

He heard her make a frustrated sigh on the other line. "_You're supposed to pick him up at the Roberts and bring him to Brooks Brothers at eleven-hundred!_" 

"What? Why can't Bud take him?!"

"_Bud's sick, remember?_"

Harm glanced up at the wall clock to find it was a little after ten-hundred. After saying a quick good-bye to Mac, Harm tossed a spatula in the sink, and the sailor breezed out of the kitchen. 

"—I mean it's not like he's a bad guy, it's just he's getting me into more trouble than I'd like."

Grace whipped around her head when her father passed her on the way up the stairs. She put the phone down, covering the receiver. "Where are you going?"

Harm quickly explained as he bolted into his bedroom. Grace grinned as she brought the phone back to her ear. 

"I gotta go...the mall...look, if he calls you, tell him I'm sick...I don't know, make it up, like, tuberculosis or something...I dunno what it is, but it sounds bad, right?"

***

1540 ZULU

Streets of D.C.

 "How do planes stay in the air?" Little AJ asked as he pressed his nose to the SUV window, observing a 747 as it slowly descended for a landing. 

Harm and Grace each exchanged sidelong glances. "It's complicated, buddy." Harm answered quickly. 

"Why?" AJ asked curiously.

Grace turned around in the passenger seat. "You know how when Eric makes paper planes, they always fall down eventually?"

AJ nodded his little blond head excitedly. 

"Well, it does that because it doesn't have the big engines on big planes which have huge...fans...that make it stay in the air."

AJ furrowed his little brow seriously, trying to figure out with his young mind what Grace had just said. 

Harm slowly looked over at Grace. "Fans?"

She shrugged as she turned back around. "That's what you told _me_ when I was five." She mumbled. 

"Four." Harm said a little too quickly, "AJ's four, right, buddy?" Harm threw over his shoulder to the little boy. 

"Uh huh!" He answered louder than he had to.

Grace fixed her father with an amused stare. Harm felt it eventually and gave her a double take. "What?"

Making a half smile, she just shook her head. 

***

1558 ZULU

Georgetown Mall

DC

 After finding a parking space (quite a difficult task), the three hurried down Wisconsin Avenue. Quickly finding out that AJ couldn't walk as fast as they could, Harm hoisted the little boy to his shoulder as they all squeezed through the thick crowds going into the mall. When the three finally found the Brooks Brothers store, it was ten after eleven. A short, scrawny man in his middle thirties stood impatiently outside the store, his head cranking around in all directions until he saw Grace and Harm, with AJ squealing excitedly on his shoulder. 

 The tailor straightened his tie and cleared his throat upon seeing the child and nodded at him. "Mr. AJ Roberts, I presume?"

AJ's eyes got huge as Harm put him back on the floor. "Are you Santy Clause?"  
The tailor blinked, drawing his hands behind his back. "...No..."

"Then how do you know my name?!" 

The tailor cocked an eyebrow, a tactless look on his face. He then looked up at Harm. "Mr. Roberts?"

"Mr. Rabb, friend of the family."

With a sharp sigh, the tailor turned on his heel into the store. "This way, please."

Grace nudged her father. "I'll be around."

"Be back in an hour!" Harm called after her.

Grace waved her hand dismissively as she disappeared into the crowd. With any luck, she'd run into Mom and Harriet. The place was busier than usual. Grace could come up with a couple reasons for that. Early Christmas shopping, and searching for the last minute Halloween costume. Whatever the reason, shoppers bustled around in what could be called controlled chaos. 

 Grace slow poked through the crowd, letting it take her wherever it wanted. But she finally squeezed out to look at a display window. It was a teen-jewelry store, called "Claire's," and Grace watched longingly as a girl, a little younger than herself, got her ears pierced on the other side of the store. Grace sighed. In her...past life, she'd almost convinced her parents to let her get her ears pierced. It took a long time, and a lot of work to reach that point. Now she was starting over again. And whenever she asked, her parents curtly said no. 

 It didn't take long for Grace to sense the figure behind her. She also only needed to take in a whiff of air to recognize his cologne.

"Morning, Eric."

A frustrated sigh rang out behind her. "How do you _do_ that?" He complained as he walked up next to her. 

"My secret," Grace grinned, "What are you doing here, anyway?"

Eric faked offense, placing a hand over his heart and gasping. "Well, don't I have as much right to the mall as anyone else?"

"You hate the mall." Grace concluded for him. 

"True...my parents are driving me nuts."

Grace rolled her eyes. She'd heard him say that too many times. "Tsk, aw, how so?" But the playfulness left her voice when she saw Eric's face. 

"Dad's being called out. Mom doesn't want him to go. Insanity ensues."

Grace bit her lip. "Where's he going?"

"Saudi Arabia."

"For how long?"

"Who knows." 

The silence that followed was quite uncomfortable, and Eric could only handle so much seriousness. He playfully shoved her arm. "Hey, you remember how this life was. Just be glad you don't have to live it anymore." 

He was referring to her own "parent" that was "in the CIA." The story had stuck for so long, sometimes it felt like it were actually true. Grace just made a small, rueful smile in response. Then Eric pulled her away from the window and the two emerged back into the crowd. 

***

"Please, keep your arms horizontal!" 

The tailor huffed a sigh as he tried to measure little AJ's arms. The boy had a wide smile as he stared at himself in the three-panel mirror. Harm was off to the side seated in a chair, reading a magazine. He glanced up when the tailor sighed. 

"You givin' him trouble, buddy?" Harm asked.

Little AJ flapped his arms. "Uh uh, Uncle Harm!"

The tailor had to recoil to avoid getting hit by AJ's flailing arms. Finally giving up, the little man stood from his knees. "Mr. Rabb, is there any way you can control this child?"

Harm cocked an eyebrow at the tailor's candor and then waved AJ over. The boy hopped off the stool and bounded over to the attorney. Harm leaned forward in the chair, narrowing his eyes at the boy. 

"You think you can stay real still for just a few more minutes?"

Little AJ curled in his bottom lip, thinking hard about what Harm had said. After a good ten seconds, AJ made a big nod. 

"I thinks so." 

Harm sighed in relief. "Good."

"Well, well, well, look who finally made it?" 

Harm closed his eyes and chuckled at the familiar voice. He stood, wrapping his arms around Mac and placing a kiss on her head. 

"Thanks for calling me."

"Mommy!" Little AJ hopped off the stool, a strip of measuring tape whipping about from his arm as he jumped into Harriet's arms.  

"Are you bein' good, sweetheart?" Harriet asked as she caught the nasty expression from the tailor. 

AJ nodded. "Did you know big planes gots big fans that make 'em stay in the air?!" 

Harriet's eyebrows rose. "Oh, did Uncle Harm tell you that?"

"Uh uh, Gwacie did!" 

Harm glanced down at his watch. "Speaking of Grace, she should be back by now..." 

***

"No, no, no, get outta the way!" Grace practically screamed as she tried to shoot the alien down. Eric didn't bother to comply, and continued to shoot the plastic gun at the video-game screen. And as the next second passed, the aliens attacked and bright red blood poured down the screen. Grace sighed and put the blue gun back in the holster on the arcade game. Eric stared at the screen, now displaying huge, blinking letters saying, "YOU LOSE." 

"I told you to get out of the way!" Grace whined. 

Eric jammed the gun back in the holster. "I thought I could get the dude."

Before Grace could answer, her cell phone went off. She quickly pulled it out of her jeans pocket and flipped it open. 

"Hello...hey, Harm...I'm with Eric, at the uh, the arcade...what do you mean it's twenty past noon?" Grace checked her watch, "Oh, crap, I'm sorry...where are you...okay, we'll be there in a few minutes...sorry." Grace slowly hung up and put the phone back in her pocket.

"Dun, dun, duuunnn!" Eric grinned as he mimicked the _Dragnet_ theme song. 

Rolling her eyes, Grace took a hold of his arm, leading them out of the arcade. "Come on, they're at the food court."   

"I'm not hungry though!" Eric explained as his friend pulled him through the crowds. 

***

2158 ZULU

Bethesda Naval Hospital

DC

Monday, October 27

"Really, it's not as many anymore. I haven't had one for three weeks now!"

Doctor Backus nodded, her little eyes narrowing behind her thin-rimmed glasses. It was that same look with all shrinks. The look that says, "I agree with you, but you're still nuts."

Or at least that's what Grace drew from it. 

"Tell me again about the last incident." Dr. Backus insisted calmly. 

Grace inhaled deeply, letting the breath out slowly. "Nothing's really changed. They've all pretty much been the same. I hear two gunshots. I see...red...everything just turns red. Sometimes just red dots. And then it's over."

Backus wrote something down on the legal pad on her lap. "And you're taking your medicine?"

"Every night." Grace answered truthfully. 

"Hm." The therapist replied. 

Growing restless, Grace sat up on the leather couch, swinging her legs to the floor. "Look, Doc, it's been nearly a year. I'm fine. So what if I still have nightmares? They're rare, anyway!"

Backus put the legal pad down next to her and crossed her arms. "Grace, the fact is, the anniversary of Singer's death will be next month," Backus continued despite Grace rolling her eyes, "How are you going to handle it?"

Grace shrugged a shoulder. "I'll visit her grave."

"Easier said than done." Backus warned. 

Grace had to laugh. "Oh, come on. What's going to happen? Is the ground gonna shake and split from under me if I go there?"

"No. Worse. All the feelings you had a year ago may come crashing down on you."

Grace shook her head. "Okay, first of all, whatever feelings I had are gone. I'm past it, I'm over with it, I'm done! I don't even know why I'm still seeing you!"

Backus disregarded the last statement and brought the legal pad back on her lap. "How's family life?" 

Grace sighed, relieved that the subject had been changed. "Great. Harm's as much a dad to me as my real one was, and I can't wait for him to marry Mac." She added coolly. 

"And your friends?"

"Couldn't ask for better ones." That certainly wasn't a lie. 

Dr. Backus glanced up at the wall clock. "Hour's up, Grace."

_Thank God._ She thought bitterly. 

"Look, I want you to spend the week thinking about how you'll deal with the anniversary, all right?"

Grace nodded as she stood, pulling on her tan leather jacket. "Sure. See ya next Monday." As she headed towards the door, Dr. Backus stopped her. 

"Wait up!"

Grace turned around as Backus placed a "Fun Size Snickers Bar" in her hand. "Happy Halloween!"

Grace froze. Happy Halloween? Her last one hadn't been too happy. Grace shook away the events of last year as she gingerly accepted the candy. 

"Thanks."

A few minutes later, Grace reached her dark green Corolla, but she just sat in the car for a moment, staring down at the pedals. Eventually, she looked up, letting her eyes sweep across the parking lot. She'd gone through so much to get to this point. The point when she didn't wake up every morning to a gun shot exploding in her ear, or blood blinding her vision. She'd trained herself to not even think about the murder. She was as normal as she could get. 

Grace put the key in the ignition and turned it, bringing the car to life. The radio flipped back on and Grace was greeting with the "Monster Mash" song that they'd been playing the last two weeks. Grace changed the station to one playing rock and put her foot to the pedal, anxious to get away from here.   

***

2230 ZULU

JAG HQ

Falls Church, Virginia

Harm listened solemnly to the voice on the other line as Dr. Backus informed him of Grace's progress. 

"But she hasn't been having the nightmares. Doesn't that say something?"

"_Commander, the fact is, she had them up until barely half a month ago. Though she's...progressing, she could be doing better._"

"Well...what's wrong with her now?"

A sigh on the other line. "_I believe she's still suffering from post traumatic stress. Don't forget, Commander, her type of treatment takes a while._"

Harm glanced up at Mac, who leaned against the edge of his desk next to him, and he shook his head. Mac's frame wilted and she bowed her head. 

"Okay, Doc. Thanks for the update."

"_No problem, Commander. But don't worry. She is getting better, just slowly._"

The two exchanged farewells, then Harm hung up the phone with a sigh. Mac eagerly awaited the details. 

"Well?"

Harm bit his lip, then leaned forward over the desk. "Backus said she's still got post traumatic stress."

Mac rolled her eyes. "How could she say that? She's doing great!"

Harm shrugged. "She's the doctor, not us."

"Well, we're the parents, doesn't that mean anything?"

Harm stood, slipping his arms around Mac's waist, drawing her to him. "Of course it does. But we just have to be patient. Backus knows what she's doing."

Mac took advantage of being close to him and straightened Harm's tie. "That damn thing's been bothering me all day."

Harm smiled. He knew Mac was only trying to get her mind on other things to avoid getting too depressed. So Harm figured he'd help her along. 

"Have I kissed you yet today?"

Mac glanced up mischievously at her fiancée. "I don't believe you have, sailor."

"Oh? Well, I better...before I lose interest and be forced to search for another Marine to marry."

Grinning, Mac tugged on the tie she'd just fixed, forcing the sailor to lean forward for their lips to join. But before it could even become a full-fledged lip lock, Harm's door opened. 

"Oh, gross!" Grace squealed, shutting the door behind her, "Can't you guys put a sign on the door or something?"

Harm scoffed. "Can't you knock?"

"The admiral doesn't knock. What would _he_ do if he walked in on that?"

Mac chuckled dryly and stole a quick kiss from Harm. "I have an appointment. See you at dinner."

When Mac walked by Grace, she playfully shoved her with her shoulder and Grace shoved back before the Marine left the office. Grace flopped down in the chair across from Harm's desk, folding her arms. 

"Tough session?" Harm asked, as if he hadn't spoken with Dr. Backus. 

"Just frustrating." She replied half-heartedly.

Harm fiddled with a pen. "You know, November first is quite an important day."

Grace felt the corners of her mouth curve up. "Yup. It'll officially be a year since I...came here." 

"Yup."

A second of silence. 

"It feels so long ago." She murmured. 

Harm put the pen down and leaned back in the chair. "Yeah."

After another moment too long of silence, Grace stood, shouldering her backpack. "I'm off to the library. I just came to see if I could help."

Harm glanced over at the filing cabinet. "Nope. Coates filed...everything." 

Grace couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Every since Coates took Tiner's job, it seemed she never stopped working. Grace didn't mind it at first, until Coates moved into _her_ territory and started doing _her_ work. But Grace shoved it off. If she looked at the positive side, it gave her more time to do other, perhaps even more important, things. 

***

2300 ZULU

Petworth Branch Library

Washington DC

 Grace propped her feet up on the wooden shelf across from her, leaning back in the chair a little bit. She lazily flipped through the old news articles, searching for the right one to base her paper on. The basement of the old library was silent, and it was eerie to her at first, but she soon became consumed by the thick, musty books containing the old newspaper pages. Even so, she put on headphones and stuck a Coldpay CD in her portable CD player to distract her a little bit. 

Grace suddenly stopped humming to, "Everything's Not Lost," and her eyes widened. Set towards the bottom right of the old newspaper page, was a headline entitled, "WOMAN CLAIMS TO BE FROM FUTURE." Grace stopped the music, and slipped the headphones down so they rested around her neck. Then, her mouth agape, Grace began to read the small story. 

"_32 year old Eleanor Kingsly was admitted into an undisclosed psyche ward for claims of coming from the future. Ms. Kingsly's sister, who asked her name to remain anonymous, professes that her sister has been ill since childhood and should be kept safely isolated. But Ms. Kingsly continues to tell her doctors that she was sent back through time on Halloween night in her family's house outside Georgetown, Virginia. No other relatives have been discovered."_

Grace didn't realize her hands were trembling until the words she was reading started to blur and shake. She dropped the huge book and shuddered as it landed with a loud thud on the concrete floor. And suddenly, a simple sentence she'd heard long ago entered her mind. 

"_Only one family's lived in the house since. They moved in around the 50's...they vanished._"

Grace wanted to stand, but she feared her legs wouldn't work. Because she realized that, for the first time since she'd been here, something actually made sense. 

***

0020 ZULU

Eleanor Kingsly's Home

Somewhere in the boonies of Virginia...

"Yeah, I'm at Eric's...I'm having dinner with him and his mom...um, I dunno when I'll be home...before eleven...yeees...I promise....oh—okay—yeah—Dad...I know...yeah, I know...okay...bye."

Grace rolled her eyes and hung up the cell phone as she pulled up the gravel driveway that very much didn't belong to Eric's family. An owl hooted somewhere in the woods that surrounded the old cabin. Grace rolled up her window as she brought the car to a stop next to a blue Oldsmobile that wasn't parked very straight. But Grace guessed the owner didn't give much of a crap how well the car was parked. 

 Since it was twenty-hundred, it had turned quite dark and the only light shining when Grace turned off the car was a lantern hanging at the wood porch. It swung gently in the invisible breeze, a squeak of metal ringing out every time it moved. Grace sat in the car, watching the cabin to see if there was movement inside. Grace wasn't about to leave this car if she didn't have to. She only hoped this was the right address that she'd looked up. There was one light on in the window upstairs, but the window looking into the living room was quite dark. As if on cue, the first floor suddenly lit up and the shadow of a figure walked slowly past the front window, the curtains obscuring her view. Grace steadied her breathing. She was just an old lady. What harm could she do? Grace raked a hand through her hair, then got out of the car, closing the door as gently as possible so as not to alarm the person inside the house. Then gathering her confidence, Grace stepped carefully up the steps up to the porch and stood in front of the door. She gingerly raised her hand, and knocked on the storm door. Grace stepped back a foot, so if Ms. Kingsly happened to look out her window, she could see that Grace wasn't some freaky guy trying to break in. 

 Grace heard slow footsteps from inside, and then they stopped right at the door. After a few seconds, the clicks of locks clapped from inside, and the front door opened. The woman that greeted her was definitely not as scary as she thought she would be. She was certainly old, probably in her early eighties. But she looked like a school teacher. She wore a bright blue sweater with a red apple knitted on the breast pocket. A skirt wrapped tightly around her little waist, and flowed loosely down to the woman's shoes. Her gray/white hair was in a stiff bun, but a loose strand of it curled in front of her ear. Many wrinkles creased her face, but her eyes were warm as she stared up at Grace as if she were a lost child. 

"Can I help you, dear?"

Grace suddenly realized her mouth was agape, and she clamped it shut before answering. "Um, are you Eleanor Kingsly?"

The woman blinked in surprise. "My, I haven't gone by that name in a long time." She said with a chuckle. She stuck out a bony, wrinkled hand. "Now, it's Elle Nolson." 

Grace swallowed as she shook Ms. Nolson's hand. "I'm sorry to bother you, but...considering my situation, I had to come. My name's Grace Rabb. I—I read about you in an old newspaper."

Elle cocked an eyebrow and looked past Grace's shoulder. "Yes, I have been mentioned in there a few times. Well, you'll catch your death if you stay out there, young lady. Come on in, I just got a fire goin'." 

Grace's childhood "stranger danger" warnings suddenly flashed through her mind, but her gut feeling told her she was safe. "Thank you." 

Elle closed the door behind Grace and then shuffled past her into the living room, where a fire crackled at the stone fireplace across the room. The home was quaint. Stairs to Grace's right led to the bedrooms, and ahead of her, was a swinging door that probably led to the kitchen. The living room took up most of the first floor, and simply connected to the dining room, whose walls were filled with photographs and a couple animal heads. 

Mrs. Nolson added a small log to the fire, then sat down with a grunt into an old armchair. She gestured to the couch across from her. 

"Please, sit, Miss...Rabb, was it?"

She nodded. "Grace is fine."

"Hm, now, what did you read about me in the papers that convinced you to come all the way out here, Grace?"

She bit her lip. "The future stuff."

Ms. Nolson brought her gaze away from the fire and stared at Grace. It scared her until the woman finally looked away. 

"You're too young to be a reporter. Why would that interest you?"

Grace stared into the fire as well. "I fell through those stairs at the Dupree Mansion. I know you're telling the truth."

Grace continued to stare, unsure of what Ms. Nolson's reaction would be. She surprised her by answering calmly. 

"I've been pestered by a lot of pranksters over the years, Miss Rabb. I tired of it."

Grace shot her a look. "Ms. Nolson, I assure you, it happened to me too! I was with friends last year, or it was actually year 2020, and I was dared to go into the mansion on Halloween. I was walking up the stairs, and I fell through, and—" Grace stopped, surprised to hear tears in her voice. This was the first time she'd talked about it in a very long time. 

Ms. Nolson fixed Grace with a shrewd stare, studying her. "That was very convincing, Miss Rabb. But I've yet to see proof."

Grace sighed despairingly. Why hadn't she thought of that? "I—I don't know how to prove it right now, um...ask me something?"

Ms. Nolson curved a smile. "Dear, I went off talking about my experience so much, that the papers recorded everything. You can tell me exactly what I said if you wanted to."

"Then how can I get you to believe me?" Grace exclaimed. 

Ms. Nolson studied her with those sly eyes again. She was trying to figure Grace out, like she was sensing a truth in her. Grace desperately waited for an answer. 

"How long have you been here, then?"

"A year this November first."

Ms. Nolson sniffed. "You know how to get back, don't you?"

Grace felt her fear build. There was a way?

"Every Halloween, Miss Rabb. Somehow, it's the only time it can happen. It's also the very night Mr. Dupree died."

Grace felt her lips part as the shock ate away at her. It was so simple. It made so much sense. Why hadn't she figured it out before?

"You—you mean I can go back?"

"Right where you left off." Ms. Nolson concluded. 

Grace felt her feet get ice cold, and her head burning hot. There was an answer...a way. A way to get back...but...would she go?"

***

TBC

***

Next chappy's the last. See ya'll next week. Ya'll have a happy New Year!!!  


	12. Hotel Oscar Mike Echo, Part 2

 THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Mimmi: Yay! I achieved unexpectedness! :D. Oh, well, most of your questions will be answered in this chapter, so I won't answer them all here. Thank you. I knew what my ending was going to be, so I knew it had to be sped up about a year. I love Eric too! I have a friend quite similar to him, and it's always funny to see him mirrored in Eric's character. Aw, thank you. I can only hope you'll like the ending as much as I will. :). And I'm going to miss this as well. Though I might have a sequel, it won't be the same. This was the first story and it'll always be special to me. And thank you for commenting on my updating. I knew I probably wouldn't get it finished, or updated in a timely fashion if I didn't make a promise to you guys that I'd get it done. Though it's been challenging at times, lol, I've loved it nonetheless. I've enjoyed the challenge. :). Thank you again, and see ya next week.

DD2: Lol, aw, I don't want it to end either! Thank you, DD, and see ya next week!

Hazel: Thank you, and see ya next week!

Kiwi: I know, I can't believe it's almost over either! *cries* Thank you, and see ya next week!

Carby24/7: LoL, no, I don't intentionally make you suffer!!! But it looks like you hung in there! Cause look! Here's the final chappy!!! :D. Oh, thank you, I will be so sad when it ends as well. Thank you so much for such nice comments and see you next week!

CharmedMummy: Hey there! Well, I had to look at Grace's perspective as well. Though the anniversary was coming up, it wasn't the only thing on her mind. But I did put, "One year later" on the header! Don't I get brownie points for that? 8^D 8^D 8^D. Aw, I hope that headache cleared up fast!!! Thank you, and see ya next week!

kristymcg: Hi there! Nice to meet ya! Wow, you read all 11 chappys at once??? My, my, lol. Thank you! See ya next week!!!  

Pissed Off Poet: LoL, well, it was a year, and I'm sure sparks flew as Harm and Mac began to realize they really were "meant to be." And my shipper heart couldn't take anymore of the teases. :D. Tsk, aw, I know, I don't want this to end! Ack! But there will definitely be an epilogue, and maybe a sequel next month or something. Thank you so much again, and see ya next week. Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*270*~ on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, POET!!!!!!!!!

Maggie: Hi!! Thank you! Ms. Nolson was the key to help Grace, and she'll have a small part at the beginning of this chapter, and then her work will be done. Thank you, and see ya next week!!!!!!

Jagsister: Hey there! Aw, thank you so much! Well, I'll probably be making a sequel to this, or writing a different JAG story (or finish one of my previous ones), and _then_ write a sequel to this, but it would be short. Anywho, do keep an eye out for more of my stories. Thank you again and see ya next week!!!

ArwenUndomiel: Heehee, well, you'll just have to see what Grace decided when you read below. :D. LoL, yeah, I got the review as I was just about finished with chapter 11, and i'm like, whoo, she's cuttin' it close :D. LoL, what's happening on JAG? Heh, well, you kinda have to see season 8 finale, then everything makes sense. But let's just say Harm is making some huge decisions right now. And, well, I'm sure you've seen the name "Mattie" mentioned in the stories around here quite a lot. Basically, everything's a little confusing at the moment. But after the episode they left off at a few weeks ago, I think stuff will start to smooth over a bit. Anywho, thank you and see ya next week (btw, look a few names down for your second review response)! 

Annebd: Aw, thank you! Yes, the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. I had a hard time thinking of the title, but I wanted to use something that resembled Grace's home. And the alphabet thing looked cool so I used that, thank you for pointing it out. :). OH, I'm so glad you're updating!!!!!!! It's been on my fav stories list for a while and I keep checkin' it, but then i get sad when I see no new chappies have been up. I'm gonna keep my eye out for it!!! See ya next week! 

Cassie: Hey there! LoL, yay, suspense, thank you :D. Hope you enjoy the chapter!! See ya next week!!

Moonlights Sundance: LOL, cliffhangers aren't fun, are they??? At least not for the reader...(i'm evil, i'm evil!). Aw, thank you! That really means the world to me when you say that!!!! Thank you again, and see ya next week 

TZMaverick: Are you kidding me??? That does sound familiar. Hm. Okay, thanks for the heads up if you even read this :D. 

Sunchaser2: LOL, yes, many decisions!!! Thank you and see ya next week!!

Cmaf: Hey there! Welcome back! LoL, had to play catch-up a lil' bit?? Hey, I hope you had a holiday!!! Aw, and I missed havin' ya! Heehee, I promise this chapter won't be the last, there will be a full epilogue. :). LOL, oh no! 30 mil!!!! Well, there will be other lottos..hehehe...hey, don't worry, I won't stop!!!! See ya next week!!!!

NavyCB: Aw, thank you! I love the title too! :D. Heehee, well, Navy, you've just given me an interesting idea...:D. LoL, and see? Another week has passed! Now did that take too long??? :). See ya next week!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*280*~ on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, NAVY!!!!!!!! 

­e-dog: LoL, computers are stupid sometimes, lol. I'm glad you reviewed anyway. :D. Hehe, well, Grace has to look at the morale part of the story and really think about her choices. Should she go back to where she really belongs, or stay?? You shall find out. :D See ya next week!!!

Winnie Bear: See, I didn't leave...well, for too long anyway, :D. Aw, thank you. It's refreshing to write as well :). Thanks again and see ya next week!!! 

Girlgunner: LoL, no, you weren't supposed to know! :D. jk.. Yes, you see the dilemma. Grace has made this life and now she has a chance to go back to her old one. Thanks and see ya next week!!!

ArwenUndomiel: LOL, welcome back, ;). Aw, thank you for the good luck! I know, I don't want it to end either. But before I run out of ideas, I want this to, as you said, end with a bang. But there will be an epilogue, as explained in the author's note below, and probably a sequel (not as long as this story, just depending on what I do). Heehee, well, I'm gonna hold on the answers to ur questions (again? I know, I thought we were over that :D) and let you read about it. :). Thank you again, and see ya next week!!!

Jagchick105: Hey there! Thank you, I hope you had a great and happy 16th birthday as well!!! Uh oh, I'm glad your computer is back!!!! Heehee, I know, I wasn't sure if it was going to be too quick or anything with the time-jump, but it appears that everybody likes it!!! Oh, I know, little AJ is so adorable!!! I wish they had him more often in the show, but you know. Anyway, I can get my cutesie/AJ moments in here :D. Yep, this is the last chapter, but there will be an epilogue on the way, and a possible sequel perhaps next month. When I began the first chapter, I thought it was going to be a short, Halloween fic. And I continued to think that up to the middle of the second chapter, when the thought of time-travel hit me. So after chapter two, I pretty much knew how I was going to end this, and started to even write the last chapter by the time I reached chapter five. That's what has been really motivating me, too. I have something to write up to which is like having a cushy net under me the whole time. So now I've learned an important lesson, don't start until you know the ending, kinda like, don't ask a question you don't know the answer to :D, and you should know allll about that! :). Wow, you know it's interesting, you'd think for the national competitions, they'd have it on Court TV or ESPN2 or something, lol! You said it's new, how long have these programs actually been around?? Oooh, I like fierce competition, muahahahaha, *cough*..*hack*...mm, I gotta stop with the evil laughs...LOL, but I like encyclopedias!!! Heehee, nah, don't stress yourself :). Hope ya had a Happy New year as well!!!

A/N: *shakes head.* Okay...I miscalculated...big time. This isn't going to be the last chapter. It's impossible. With the time I have, and how much I need to write, it's impossible for this to be the last chapter. So either you guys are relieved, or sad, lol, plz realize I DO know the ending of this, but a lot of stuff popped up in between, making this chapter a lot longer than it should be if I were to include the entire ending. So there will instead be two more weeks of this story. Next week will be the conclusion, then another week for the epilogue. Thank you all four your patience!!

~sancti

Chapter 12: Hotel Oscar Mike Echo, Part 2 

0035 ZULU

Eleanor Kingsly's Home

Somewhere in the boonies of Virginia...

Grace kindly rejected the herbal tea Ms. Nolson tried to offer. She didn't believe she could keep anything in her stomach at the moment. So the elder woman made a cup for herself, letting Grace think for a few minutes about what was just revealed to her. 

 It was possible to return. To go back exactly where she left off. It was such a wild concept now. All that time she spent missing her real family, and eventually, she just let them fade away. Grace had put the family photograph in a shoebox and threw away the clothes she had first come in. She was determined to not live in the past...or...the future...Grace never tried to break down the science of it. 

"You really are missin' somethin'." Ms. Nolson pointed out as she sat down with her tea. She sniffed the steam that arose from the teacup and smiled happily, "Nothin' like homemade herbal tea."

Grace made a friendly smile. The truth was, any kind of tea made her want to wretch, but she didn't want to spoil the woman's good time. So instead, she got back down to business. 

"How did you discover how to get back?"

Ms. Nolson put her tea down and sat back comfortably in the armchair. "Through equations you could never understand, Miss Rabb," The woman continued to explain at Grace's expression, "I'm, or was, a scientist—mathematician."

Grace moistened her lips, feeling them crack a little. "Why didn't you go back?"

The woman made a rueful smile. "My dear, by the time I figured out how it worked, I was old, married, had children, grandchildren," Ms. Nolson glanced up with her steely eyes at a photograph atop the mantel. "I'd already made a family. I couldn't stand the thought of going back to a life I hadn't lived since I was, oh gosh, four years old."

"You were four when it happened?"

She nodded her gray head. "And my sister was eight. My parents were middle age."

"What happened to them?"

Her eyes flickered to Grace. Was that anger that flashed over them? No, perhaps it was just the fireplace reflecting in her eyes. "My mother went insane and killed herself and my father was executed by the government because they thought he murdered her."

Grace lowered her eyes to the floor. "I'm sorry."

Ms. Nolson shrugged her thin shoulders. "No skin off my back. I hardly knew them. That's just what my sister told me."    

"Where is your sister?"

She sighed. "Dead. Two years ago. She wanted to go back, but I wasn't sure what would happen to me if she went back and I didn't." 

Grace couldn't imagine what it was like to go from adulthood back to childhood in the blink of an eye. Ms. Nolson obviously didn't want to experience this. And though Grace only lost a year, it would still be strange to go back in a year-young body.

"But you know now what would happen?"

Ms. Nolson nodded. "I believe once you go back, this world will disappear, and return to the present." 

That scared Grace. Everything would be gone? "I don't think I want to go back." Grace murmured. 

Ms. Nolson froze in mid-sip of her tea. "Bite your tongue, girl."

Grace blinked. All the warmth and kindness she sensed from this woman seemed to disappear in one harsh sentence. 

"What?"

She sighed, the anger dissipating. "I take it you've found a family?"

Grace smiled. "Yeah, my _real_ family."

"Well, then if they're your real family, why can't you go back to the one you started out with?"

"It's a little more complicated than that. I've made friends, I've formed...relationships."

Ms. Nolson grunted and set her teacup down. She then fixed her steely gray eyes on Grace's brown ones. "Now listen to me carefully. You only have a few days until October thirty-first. After that, you will have to wait another year, when you will form even _more_ relationships and grow closer to the ones you've already made. Then you will just keep delaying and delaying until you come to a point where you can _never_ go back! You see, that's the way it works. Something happened to that house when Mr. Dupree died. Something I can't even begin to explain to you. So go back, Miss Rabb...before you can't."

The reality of the situation finally started to set in. Grace understood what Ms. Nolson was trying to get across to her. And she only had six days to make her decision. 

***

0314 ZULU

Rabb Home

Georgetown, Virginia

Grace jiggled the key in the front door lock of her house. She cringed when the lock unlatched loudly from inside. Grace opened the door slowly, and stepped inside, carefully closing the door and locking the deadbolt. She tiptoed across the wooden floor and got one foot onto the first step, but she stopped when the light turned on in the living room next to her. Grace shut her eyes and sighed as she turned towards the room where her father sat comfortably on the sofa across the room. 

 Grace forced a smile and made a small wave. "Hey."

"Eric called," Grace's smile fell into a frown, "He asked if you wanted to come over for dinner." 

_Stupid_. Grace inwardly chastised herself. She should've called Eric to let him know of her plan. 

Harm rested a foot up on the coffee table in front of him as he crossed his arms. "Where were you?"  

Grace pointed up the stairs. "You know, I'm really beat, and it's a school night, so I'm just gonna—"

"Sit." Harm ordered. 

"Okay." Grace immediately sat in an armchair to the right of the entrance into the living room, as if Harm had a remote and controlled her every move. 

Harm leaned forward, lacing his hands together. "Where were you?"

Grace didn't really want to get into right now, or even tell him and Mom about this new information. She couldn't let them affect her decision. It was hers, and hers alone to make. 

"Please, can you just accept that I didn't do anything that involved drugs, drinking, sex, or anything that could inflict bodily harm on myself and or others?" 

Harm made a half smile. "Well, then if it's nothing that'll get you into trouble, why can't you tell me?"

_Because I don't want you to know._ "Because it's late and I just want to go to bed. Can we talk about this in the morning?"

"Grace..."

"Please?!"

Harm fought with his judgment for a moment before finally giving in. "All right, but first thing in the morning!"

"Great!" With that, Grace leapt from the chair and up the stairs, locking herself in her bedroom.

***

1205 ZULU

Next Day

Mac took a sip of her coffee, and pretended to read the paper, but her eyes skimmed right over the top of the page to get a glimpse of her fiancée. He sat, or slouched back in the dining chair staring at the kitchen wall as if someone had just walked through it. Mac sighed loudly, roughly turning a page of the newspaper, hoping to catch her squid's attention. No such luck. 

Mac flattened the paper on the table and cleared her throat. "Ahem." Her eyes fluttered to the sailor, who remained motionless. Growing restless, Mac kicked his socked foot with her own, her slipper coming off. 

Harm stirred in the chair and shot a look at Mac. "What?"

"She'll be down. She has to go to school." 

"Mmhm." He answered distractedly. 

Mac opened her mouth to say something else, when they both heard the familiar clomp of Grace's feet down the wooden stairs. Harm straightened in the chair and cleared his throat, ready for the speech. Mac shook her head and took another sip of her now cold coffee. 

 The kitchen door swung open and Grace rushed in with her coat half on and her backpack grasped in her hand. She swung the bag to her shoulder and grabbed a piece of toast from Mac's plate. She placed the bread in her mouth as she finished getting her coat on and then quickly waved at them. 

"Gotta go, Ewic's waiting out fwont." She said between the toast in her teeth. 

Harm's brow furrowed. "Wait a minute—"

Grace dashed out the swinging door yelling out, "Sowwy," behind her. Harm and Mac listened as the front door slammed shut and a car horn from outside honked repeatedly. Harm stared at the still swinging kitchen door as he listened to the engine rev and the car speed away. 

"She, um...she planned that whole thing, didn't she?"

Mac was staring at her one lonely piece of toast left on her plate. "Oh, yeah, she did."

***

1207 ZULU

Streets of Georgetown 

Virginia

 "Can't you go any faster?" Grace urged as she finished her toast. 

"Hey, don't get any crumbs on the seat, I just got this thing cleaned." Eric whined, "And no I'm not going any faster because it's a thirty-five mile an hour zone!"

Grace rolled her eyes. "And you're going thirty-four!"

"I am not!" Eric shot back as he stepped on the gas a little bit.

The car slowed down behind a line of cars at a red light. Grace sighed, slouching back into the seat of the Camry. The light turned green, and nobody moved for a second. Grunting, Grace stuck her head out the window. "Hey, you! Mr. Minivan! The light's not gonna get any greener!"

Eric's mouth went agape as he stared at his raving friend. 

"Oh, yeah, why don't you come a little closer and flip that!"

Eric reached over, grabbing the bottom of Grace's coat and pulled her back into the car. "What the hell are doing?" He exclaimed, his voice high.

Before Grace could answer, the car honked from behind them because the cars in front of them had moved. Breathing out a frustrated sigh, Eric sped up as the light turned yellow. It was silent in the car for a while and they were halfway to school when Eric decided to speak up. "So, uh, what was that all about?"

Grace crossed her arms, shaking her head. "I dunno. I'm usually not into road rage. I guess I'm just a little anxious. The wedding and everything." She lied. 

Eric bit his lip. "I called your house last night. You weren't there."

Grace stared out the window so she wouldn't have to lie to his face. "I was out."

"Out where?"

"Look, Eric, I don't need the third degree from you too, okay?"

Eric's head snapped back and forth from the road to Grace. "My God, you—you went out with Daniel didn't you?"

Grace jerked her head around. "_What_? How could you even _think_ that?"

Eric ducked his head into his shoulders. "Well, he has been persistent!"

"_Annoying_," Grace clarified for him, "he's been _annoying_!" 

"Grace, don't think I'd have anything against you if you went out with him, cause, you know, it's your love life and everything—"

"I'm not going out with him!" Grace shouted. 

Eric put a hand up in defense. "Now, just listen to me! I'm sure Daniel's an okay guy; he just doesn't know how to act in front of girls he likes. And...I'm proud of you for giving him the chance."

Grace's mouth just hung open as she stared at her friend, a temporary term at the moment. As they stopped at another red light, Grace leaned over so she was right in front of Eric's face. 

"Get something perfectly straight...I—am—_not_—going—out—with—Daniel. Understand?"

Eric smirked and suddenly kissed her cheek. Grace recoiled a little. "What was that for?"

"You're so cute when you're angry." He said with a laugh. 

Grace scowled and fell back into her seat. She quickly found a candy wrapped wedged in between the seat, and she tossed it at Eric. 

"Hey, I'm drivin' here!"

***

1230 ZULU

Fairfax High

Virginia

Grace half-listened to the old geometry teacher, who was now teaching them Algebra 2, Mrs. Curry, who had gotten back in February from her fully paid vacation that she'd "won" to the Bahamas. Grace didn't really like her. Or it might have simply been that Grace was used to Webb (who had left with his other spooks a long time ago). Grace figured it was because she knew Webb and wasn't afraid to ask questions. But she was slowly warming up to the woman. 

 Grace stirred when something landed on her desk. It was folded up piece of notebook paper. Grace looked to the seat at her right. Nancy was next to her and nodded her blonde head to the person in front of her. Grace followed her friend's gaze until it landed on the person two seats in front of Nancy. 

Daniel.

Daniel slowly turned his neck and gave Grace a toothy, lopsided grin. She looked down and cringed. She then heard Nancy next to her stifle a laugh. Rolling her eyes, Grace unfolded the note. 

Oh, God, it's a poem.

"Do you have something interesting to share, Miss Rabb?"

Grace whipped up her head to see Mrs. Curry standing at the front row, her arms crossed and her hazel eyes glaring behind thick-rimmed spectacles. 

"Um...no?"

Mrs. Curry took a stroll down the aisle until she reached Grace's desk. The woman snatched the note from her hands and held it up, adjusting her glasses as she read aloud. 

"My sweetest love, your eyes are a deep ocean in which you can see the waves of your glorious beauty and intelligence. Your skin is softer than the silkiest flower. Your hair: a cascade of heavenly strands that flow flawlessly to your shoulders. Your lips, red and full—" Mrs. Curry stopped reading as the giggles erupted throughout the room. Grace had a hand on her forehead as she stared down at her desk.

Mrs. Curry folded the letter. "Well, it seems you care a great deal about someone to write this."

Grace jerked her head up. "I didn't write it. It was—it was for me."

Mrs. Curry put the letter in her pocket and walked back to the front of the classroom. The other students turned around to Grace and snickered. Daniel just continued to stare at her, a lovesick puppy expression plastered on his face.  

***

1714 ZULU

Grace, Eric, and Nancy sat under the shade of a large weeping willow tree on the school grounds. Each ate their lunches quietly, but every time Eric felt a laugh come, he stuffed his salami sandwich in his mouth. Grace rolled her eyes as it happened for the fourth time. She put her salad down on the brown paper lunch bag and leaned back against the tree. 

"All right guys, go ahead, laugh all you want."

Nancy made a rueful smile and slumped her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Grace. It's just...he's so harmless, but," the girl giggled, "but so annoying."

"And one hell of a poet," Eric added wryly, "that guy should write for Hallmark or something."

Grace wanted to be mad at them. She wanted to throw her plastic fork at Eric, and a salad leaf at Nancy, but she couldn't. Grace found it difficult to stay angry with the two for long. So instead, she just smiled, picking up her salad.

"You'd think he'd give it up by now." Grace murmured before eating a slice of tomato. 

Nancy poked at her yogurt and made a half smile. "There's always going to be a Daniel in high school, Grace." 

"Yeah, I guess." 

Nancy went to lick her spoon, but froze. The spoon dropped from her hand as a smile slowly spread across her face. 

"Oh, my God." She said breathlessly. 

Grace and Eric turned their heads in the direction of Nancy's gaze. The girl squealed and jumped up, running past them to the figure a few yards away. When Grace and Eric finally realized who it was, they grinned as well, watching as Nancy ran to him. 

Patrick opened his Air Force uniformed arms as Nancy jumped into them. Grace smiled, watching the perfect couple reunite. Eric laughed as Patrick spun Nancy, who'd wrapped her arms and legs around him. 

"I thought he wasn't due back until Thursday?" Eric pointed out. 

Grace shook her head. "He called me Sunday to tell me he was coming early, and to not tell Nancy." 

Eric's brow furrowed. "How come you didn't tell me?!"

"Cause I knew you'd tell _her_!"

Eric opened his mouth to retort, but realized his friend was correct and continued to watch as the couple hugged and kissed. 

"How did those two stay so happy?" Eric asked. 

Grace shrugged a shoulder. "They understand each other."

Eric gave Grace a sidelong glance. "_We_ understand each other."

Grace met Eric's gaze and pursed her lips. "We understand each other as friends, Eric."

"How come we've never been more?"

Grace was taken aback by the question at first. Just why hadn't they been more? Because Grace figured that someday she'd have to leave him. It was funny how that worked out. Subconsciously, she knew she didn't belong here, and wouldn't be able to stay. Her gut instincts prevented her relationship with Eric to become anything more. 

"I don't know, Eric," Grace lied, "maybe it wasn't meant to be."

Before Eric could answer, the reunited couple walked over to them, Nancy's arm interlocked with Patrick's, her head resting on his chest.

Grace stood and gave Patrick a hug. "Glad you're home, buddy."

Patrick took one of his huge arms and wrapped it completely around Grace. "Thanks for keeping it secret." He said in that deep voice that Grace sometimes thought couldn't possibly belong to an eighteen year old. 

"No problem, big guy."

Eric stood as well and shook Patrick's hand. After the four exchanged more words, the couple announced they were going to walk around a little bit and catch up on each other's lives. After the two left, Grace and Eric sat back down on the grass to finish their lunches. The two ate in silence for a bit, and Grace started to become uncomfortable. 

"Are you okay?"

Eric wadded up the lunch bag and drained the rest of his Mountain Dew. "Just dandy."

"Have you talked to your parents?"

Eric wadded the bag even tighter. "Yeah...somethin' else came up."

"What?"

Her friend sighed, tossing the balled up bag from one hand to the other. "We're graduating next year."

"Yeah, so?"

"So, Dad wants me to go to spook school."

Grace understood immediately. Joining the CIA was the last thing Eric wanted to do. "Oh...well, did you tell them what _you_ wanted to do?"

He nodded. "Dad said there were already enough doctors in DC. And that I should do something more important."

Grace scoffed. "But being a doctor is important!"

"Well, apparently not important enough!" Eric spat. 

Grace fell silent and leaned her head back on the rough bark of the willow tree. Eric sighed and let the paper ball fall into the grass. 

"Sorry, I guess I'm still a little steamed about it."

"It's okay, you have a right."

"No, I—"

Grace reached over and placed a hand on Eric's. "Really, it's okay. But...just remember, they can't _make_ you go. You have a choice too, all right?"

Eric smiled, staring down at Grace's hand. "Yeah."

Grace followed his gaze and she took her hand off his. She didn't want to imply anything, especially after the conversation they'd had a few minutes ago. But it was apparently too late, and Eric leaned over, placing his lips on hers. She didn't resist, though she wanted to, and kissed him back. Eric put a hand around her waist, and one on her neck. Then, like Grace was waking up from a dream, she gasped and pushed him off. Instead of going back into a sitting position, he fell back into the grass. 

Grace breathed heavily to regain the air that had escaped her during the kiss. Eric sat back up. Upon seeing Grace's confused expression, he stood, brushing the grass off his shirt. 

As he walked past her, he murmured, "Sorry," then headed towards the front lawn of the high school.

Grace slowly brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as the previous moment replayed in her head. What had just happened probably permanently changed the relationship, one she'd liked very much, with her best friend. It was strange. She suddenly felt guilty, like she'd spilled coffee on somebody's art project. It was a good metaphor. Her relationship with Eric had been like a piece of art. It had been worked on tirelessly throughout the year. Keeping so many secrets from him was quite difficult. Then someone she hadn't thought about for almost a year entered her mind. 

Clay.

For the first time ever, Grace realized how similar Eric and Clay Jr. were. Except for the fact that Clay, as far as Grace knew, didn't want a romantic relationship with her. Eric clearly did. So why did she feel guilty? Did she somehow think she was betraying Clay? 

Grace watched a thin, slender leaf of the willow tree drift down and land on her knee. She blew it off, and watched as the wind took it away across the grass. Grace suddenly wanted to be that leaf. That is until it landed on the grass, and another student walked by and stepped on it. 

There was only one way to fix this. And though Grace hated to run away from a problem, she didn't want to make things worse, and she wasn't sure things could get better. She had to go back. 

***

2030 ZULU

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Grace hopped off the last step of the metro bus, scrunching her nose as the exhaust blew into her face. Grace didn't like the buses, but she had no other choice since her usual means of transportation (Eric's car) wasn't...available at the time. 

Grace stepped slowly down the sidewalk until she reached the guard station. Corporal Fischer stepped out of the little station and nodded at her. 

"Afternoon, Grace."

She held up her pass card and Fischer nodded, giving her the visitor's pass. "Go on."

"Thanks."

Grace clipped the pass to her jacket as she entered the building, which was bustling about with military personnel. After taking the elevator to the second floor, Grace walked out slowly, maneuvering around everyone until she reached her father's office, where her parents talked quietly in the two chairs in front of Harm's desk. 

Grace knocked on the doorframe and her parents' heads whipped up. 

"Hey—" Mac started to say, but stopped at Grace's expression as she closed the door. 

"We need to talk." Grace announced. 

Harm made a dry chuckle. "Damn straight. Sit down." He gave Grace his chair, and sat in his own leather one behind the desk. 

Grace took off her coat and placed her backpack on the floor, then sat down in the chair. "I went to somebody's house last night. A Ms. Nolson. She's eighty-three years old, but technically, she should only be fifty-five years old."

Mac shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

Grace sighed, turning to her mother. "In 1952, Eleanor Kingsly and her family lived in the Dupree Mansion, and then fell back through time to approximately 1920. Her family has died, and she's the only one left."

Harm's anger quickly dissipated, and he was more curious than anything now. "How did you find out about her?"

"Old newspaper," Grace replied, "look guys, she...she told me how to get back."

Dead silence. 

Her parents exchanged glances. Mac's lower lip trembled, and Harm's eyes just widened. 

Grace nodded, understanding their shock. "Halloween night. It only works then."

Her father leaned back in the chair, thinking about what was just said. Mac took her daughter's hand, and looked her in the eye.

"Do you...want to go back?"

Harm's eyes flicked to Grace. She bit her lip and sniffed. "I should...I have to."

***

TBC

***

Okey dokey, like I said...NEXT week will be the last chapter, then another week for the epilogue. Hope ya'll had a safe and Happy New Year!!!

~sancti


	13. Da sveedanya, Adieu, and Farewell

Thank you!!!!!!!!

Pissed Off Poet: LOL, truth is, I didn't mean to update early. Okay, this is really stupid, but I spent all Wednesday finishing chapter 12, thinking it was a Thursday...*shrug*...I have no idea. But when I posted it, a few hours later I just went...oh...crap...lol, but I kept it on there any way. Oh I know, I do torture Grace don't I?! Yeah, I can't wait to do an epilogue after the last chapter!! Thank you and see ya next week!!!

Mimmi: LoL, well, you'll just have to read to see whether she goes back or not!! :D. LoL, I know, I don't want this story to end, and I was a little happy this wasn't finished last week. But, all good things come to an end sometimes...:(....LoL, don't ppl in Sweden speak Dutch?? It looks like such a pretty language, but difficult. Thank you and see ya next week *waves back* :D.

#1jagfan: Heehee, aww, I don't want it to end either! But it must, sometime. But do not worry, there will be an epilogue, and probably a sequel in a month or so. Thank you, and see ya next week!!! :)

e-dog: LoL, I know, wow...Grace and Eric...hmm...she'll get that resolved in this chappy :). And I knew Grace had to tell Harm and Mac sometime soon. You'll also see why below :). LOL, I'm glad you like the extra chapters. Then of course the epilogue, so it's not over yet!!! Oh, your story is sooo good! I love Mondays now, :D. Really, it's an awesome story! Hey, thanks a bunch, and see ya next week!!

Kiwi: Heehee, well, the stuff with Eric will be in the epilogue, but there will most definitely be stuff with Clay at the end of this chappy. Heehee, yes, it is difficult, but so much fun!!!!! See ya next week!!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*290*~ on the review list!!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, KIWI!!!!!!

Deb: Heehee, I can't wait for you to read what happens in her own time!! But there will be little of that at the end of the chapter, and a whole lot more of it in the epilogue due next week. Thank you, and see ya next week!!!

Cmaf: LOL, I don't really MEAN to leave you hangin' so much! It just seemed like a good place to end the chapter!! Really, I'm not completely evil!! :), heeheehee...i would like this to go on forever too, but you know. Thank you, and see ya next week!!!

Cassie: LoL, *cowers*, I'm sorry for making you wait! Really, I am!! I agree with you, she needs to go back to her family, in the place and time she belongs. Oh, and I can't wait for you to seee how I ended it!!! So, go! Read!!! :D thanks, and see ya next week!

NadaZimri: Heehee, yeah, I brought Clay Jr. back in the mix...heehee....anywho, thank you about the leaf, I enjoyed writing that little part. It just came to me, I didn't get it from anywhere...gosh, I wish all the greatest ideas were like that *shakes head*...Thanks, and see ya next week!!! :)

DD: Hey there! MUAHAHAHA, I'm evil!!!! :)...well....hopefully not _too_ evil *sniff*. Yes, yes, yes, there will most likely be a sequel!!! There will be an epilogue next Friday, then a sequel in a month or so, (I need some time to think about what will happen). Thank you, and see ya next week!!!!!

Carby24/7: Aw, you're welcome!!! Really, I had it completely planned out! In theory, this should be the epilogue. But there was just so much going on, and I knew it would be a really long chapter if I included it all, so I decided to give ya'll a couple more weeks. :). Oh my, no, thank _you_ so much!!!! :D ....see ya next week, Jane!

ArwenUndomiel: LOL, I'm sorry for confusing you!!!!! I didn't mean for it to work out this way, my estimation was majorly off. When I was writing the last chapter, I was like, "There is no way I'm gonna be able to finish this thing in one chapter!!!" I know, Grace is gonna have to go through some emotional goodbyes. I can't wait for you to read it!!! Oh, okay, I wasn't sure how much you knew about season 9. Okay, yes, the Christmas episode was the custody hearing for Mattie. It was quite a rocky episode, because Mattie's alcoholic father came into the picture, but in the end, Harm gets her and she's in his custody, at least for now. Hmmm, Harm's and Mac's wedding...I dunno, I might be able to fit that in here (I'm writing this review before I started writing the chapter). I believe I can fit it in. There are a bunch of little scenes that are gonna be in here, but I think I can make the wedding work...heeheehee, thank you, heeheehee....See ya next week!!!

Sunchaser2: Yes, it is going to be a little sad, :( ...but it will have a happy ending, I promise. There will be more in the epilogue, and I'm still tossin' around ideas for the possible sequel. Thank you, and see ya next week!!!

Nikole1025: LOL, don't worry, I will finish!!! Aww, well, soon enough, when I get the sequel up, you can look forward to Fridays again! :). LOL, thank you so much, and see ya next week!!

MissMobster: Welcome!!! WoW, you read all of the chapters at once??? I don't think I'd be able to do that, lol. I've done that with other stories though. Run into it, read the whole thing, then find out there's, like, 2 chapters left, lol. But it's great to have you!!! That is a good suggestion!! So I'll tell ya what I'm gonna do. This is gonna be the last chapter, but there will be an epilogue, and a sequel in maybe a month to extend on Grace trying to go back to her old life, and how to deal with her old family. :D . Anywho, thank you so much for being interested and telling me what you think!!! See ya next week!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number, "DING, DING, DING!!!!!" ~*~300~*~ on the review list!!!!!!! *confetti falls and I do my happy dance* THANK YOU, MISS MOBSTER!!!!!!!!!!! 

SarahRabb705: Ah! I'm glad you're still here!! Thank you!! I thought it would be a bit of a comfort for Grace if she met someone who knew what she was going through. Thank you for commenting on that ;). Yes, she does need to go back! It's where she belongs!! Thank you, and see you next week!!!

NavyCB: Ah! Thank you! Ahh, do not worry!!! This chapter will end with, well, the obvious, but the epilogue will be the aftermath, and then the possible sequel that I've been not-so-subtly hinting :D. Heehee, will she remember?? Hmm, I guess you'll have to wait and see...heeheehee....I'm so evil...heehee...and lovin' it!!! Thanks, and see ya next week!

maggie: Hey there! I know, yay for Grace, but "awww" for Harm and Mac!!! Thank you, and see ya next week!

Words unspoken: Hey there! Welcome!! Heehee, well, I didn't really plan on it being longer. In theory, this chapter should be the epilogue, but *shrug* , whatever works!! Thank you so much, and see you next week!!!

Jagchick105: Hey there! Hehe, well, it will be emotional..*sniff... Thank you so much! Oh, I'm just glad I knew the ending when I did. I really hate writing a story without knowing how it will end, cause then I have nothing to work up to! 5-10 years they've been doing the mock trials? Wow, okay. Really, so the JAG guy was probably pretty young *grin*..heehee...Omg, you're going to be homeschooled! Congratulations!!! We've been homeschooling for a pretty solid 5 years now. I was in regular school from K-4th grade, and my parents also was...disappointed by the school. My bro joined in the middle of 8th grade, and now he's at college. Is it hard?? Well, I'll tell ya right now, first year is the most difficult, just because it's new and different, and you have to find what works for you. And you have to have a pretty good relationship with your Mom/Dad, LoL. Cause you have to get used to seeing them a LOT. :). My first year, we tried this program called, "Alpha Omega." Lemme tell right now, DO NOT start with that. In fact, the top books I can recommend are Saxon for math (there are also CD's made by a Dr. David ..umm...David..umm...dang it, I forget his last name, but he's the only dude to make CDs to go with the books). For science, my absolute first choice is Dr. Jay L. Wile's books. He's a genius, and his books are presented in the way that he's talking to YOU. The courses are pretty intense, but it's all very interesting. I'm taking Biology right now, and I hate science, but classifying bacteria has somehow  peaked my interest and I like it now, so, yeah, lol. The only thing about Wile's books is, I'm not sure if this is okay with your family, but he presents it in a Christian outlook. But he does explain the differences between Evolution and the Christian belief of how the world started, and he kinda lets you choose which way ya wanna go. But anywho, those are two great courses you can start out with. Umm...if you have any other questions, my email is: cqc_hatshepsut_kv5 at yahoo (i had to do that, cause this site doesn't allow URLs in the uploads, rolls eyes), and if your parents have questions, I'll give you my mom's email. And yes, lol, personally, I think I have much more time in the day to write (this is strictly how I ever got the time to update this story consistently). We start school at 9 am, and usually I finish around 3:00. But then I'm DONE for the day. No homework. That's the beauty of it :). Anyway, I've really rambled on that one, so I'll let ya read now. Thank you and see ya next week!! 

Pennithil: Hmm...I thought over this one for quite a while, and morally, it'd be best for her to go back. She has her real family and she should be with them. But the Grace/Eric dilemma will be a little tragic in this chapter, and then the epilogue will explain more about Grace and Clay. Anywho, I don't wanna let out too much or else there won't be _any_ surprises, so I'll shut it now. :D ...see ya next week!!!

CharmedMummy: LOL, as SOON as you pointed out that little mistake (*bangs head on desk because she missed it*) I got right to it and re-uploaded the chapter with the *ahem* correct content. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for pointing that out so I could fix it. Nobody else said anything, so thank you SOOO much for telling me!!! Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. See ya next week!!!

Winnie Bear: Thank you so much for the motivating comments!!!!! I can't wait for you to read! See ya next week! 

Katie Conner: Hey there! Thank you so much! Hehe, don't worry, the story is updated every Thursday night (sometimes _really_ late Thursday nights...). And when I get the sequel goin' there will be the same schedule. LOL, hmmm, don't worry, I'll make room for Webb in here, ;). This is pretty much a goodbye (hence the title) chapter for Grace.  

A/N: I'm terrible. I really am. I have yet another chapter before the last chapter. Some ideas sparkled and I again didn't have as much time as I would have wanted. But I PROMISE you, the next chapter is the last. Just about all my creative juices for this story have been squeezed out and I'm only left with a few things. Um, I think what I'm gonna do is deliver the last chapter and the epilogue at the same time, but in two separate chapters. I've loved this story, but I need a break. :) 

~sancti 

Little Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, the song, "Scum of the Earth," belongs to Rob Zombie, yadda, yadda, yadda. 

Chapter 13: Dosvodanya, Adieu, and Farewell   

0112 ZULU

Rabb Home

Georgetown, Virginia

 Grace rubbed her wet head vigorously with the bath towel as she closed her bedroom door. All afternoon she had felt...dirty. She guessed it was because of kissing Eric. 

Grace tossed the towel into a clothesbasket in her closet, then sauntered over to her stereo. Not really caring what CD was in it, she pushed play. To her surprise, a Rob Zombie song blasted out of the speakers, the sound swelling in her enclosed room. But it was good enough. The words were a little angrier than she felt, but it as loud as she wanted to scream.  

"Run and kill—destroy the will A hero that doesn't exist, yeah! Smoking gun—well, I am the one A bullet hole in your fist, yeah!" Grace then remembered it was a CD Eric let her borrow. She sat down on her bed, brushing her wet hair as the refrain played. "Hey! I'm breathing! Hey! I'm bleeding! Hey! I'm screaming—Scum of the Earth, come on!" The refrain played again and Grace listened to the haunting words. As a short, distortion-filled guitar solo entered, Grace bent down and reached under her bed until she felt the familiar box. Exactly where she placed it ten months ago. She brought it up on the bed, and slowly opened the cardboard lid. Grace lifted out the single object, holding it in her lap. The photograph seemed so old now, the edges creased and worn. She studied her face. She looked so young here.   

Grace suddenly heard a loud knock on her door, someone obviously trying to be heard over the music. Grace quickly placed the photo back in the shoebox, closing it, and leaned over the edge of the bed, shoving the shoebox under it. She then grabbed a book on her end table, and opened it.

"Come in."

The door clicked open and Mac poked her head into the room. "Hey."

Grace glanced up from the book and gave a small smile. "Hey."

Mac walked in, balancing a clothesbasket against her hip. She opened Grace's closet and added her clothes to the pile she already had. When Mac turned around, the song went into the refrain again. Her mother narrowed her eyes and slowly stepped up to the stereo, which sat on Grace's dresser. She examined all the dials and buttons, and found the volume control. She turned it way down so it was barely audible, then turned to her daughter, her expression cynical.

Grace spoke up immediately in defense. "It's Eric's, not mine."

Mac made a silent, "oh," as she headed for the door. But she stopped and whipped around. "I almost forgot, you got two calls when you were in the shower."

"From who?"

"Eric and Daniel, but don't worry, I told Daniel you wouldn't be able to get back with—"

Grace practically leapt out of the bed, the book falling to the floor. "Eric called?"

Mac nodded. "Mmhm."

"What'd he say? What did he sound like?!" Grace pleaded. 

Mac cocked a thin eyebrow and set the basket on the floor, crossing her arms over her chest. "You mean, what did I gather from his mood when he said, 'This is Eric, tell Grace to call me back?' "

Grace bobbed her head up and down several times. 

Mac shrugged a shoulder. "He sounded...like Eric...maybe a little less high strung...why? What happened?"

Grace, unsatisfied with her mother's answer, plopped back down on the bed, drawing her knees up. She then mumbled something that resembled, "I don't wanna talk about it," but Mac sat down next to her anyway, reaching over and brushing her wet hair, draped in front of her face, behind her shoulder. 

"Come on, Gracie, we always talk about this stuff."

That was true. Throughout the year, Grace had had her share of boyfriends, none lasting more than a couple months, if that much. And she'd always been able to discuss it with her mother. Why was she so reserved in talking about it now? 

"Eric he—he kissed me today."

Mac blinked. Grace understood her mother's surprise. Her relationship with Eric had always been completely platonic up until a few months ago. Grace hadn't said anything, but she knew Eric was acting differently towards her. It was subtle enough for her and her alone to notice. 

"How...the hell did that happen?"

"Mixed signals, I guess," Grace said as she laced and unfolded her hands in her lap, "I dunno, it just happened."

Mac took in a breath and held it. "Did...anything else..." she swallowed, "...happen?"

Grace rolled her eyes at Mac and she shook her head. "No. I pushed him away and he left. I'm _shocked_ he called."

After a moment of silence, Mac patted Grace's shoulder and stood. "Well, call him back, see what he has to say."

"I will—oh, and Mom?"

Mac turned around, again balancing the clothesbasket on her hip. "Yeah?"

"Don't tell Dad, he'll freak."

An amused grin played across Mac's lips. "Sure."

***

0520 ZULU

Harm swooshed the mouthwash around in his mouth while glaring at Mac's reflection as she carried a stack of folded towels into the bathroom. Mac stopped in her tracks when she saw his expression in the mirror.

"What?" She asked innocently.

Harm spat the mouthwash in the sink, then grabbed the top half of the towels from the stack, which was hindering Mac's frontal vision. 

"Thanks." She said with a smile as she opened the closet. 

"You know, at dinner," Harm started as Mac took the towels from him, "I couldn't help but think you guys were hiding something from me."  

Mac closed the closet door and walked past him into the bedroom. "What made you think that?" Mac threw over her shoulder. 

Harm followed her out, helping her take the decorative pillows off the bed. "Well, for the first time _ever_, neither of you ate much."

Mac picked up her pillow and fluffed it, or punched it was a better term. Harm cringed. He couldn't help but think Mac was imagining the pillow was him...

"Come on, Harm, we all know eating _your_ Chinese food is an adventure in itself."

Harm frowned, looking thoroughly hurt. "I thought you liked my Chinese food?"

"That was _before_ I knew I was gonna spend the rest of my life with you," Mac chuckled, "I was just being polite."

Harm sighed as he and Mac got under the covers. "Yeah, well, I'm planning on trying my hand at Korean next. You like Kim Chi?"

Mac rolled her eyes as she reached for a magazine on her end table. "I'm sure I won't if you cook it." Mac mumbled. 

Harm scoffed. "Geeze, Mac, what's with the personal attacks tonight? I feel like your punching bag." 

Mac turned her head to her fiancée, her jaw hanging a little. "I—I'm sorry, Harm," She stuttered, "I don't know what got into me."

Harm seemed to accept the apology and nodded. "It's okay. I'd just like to know exactly what's bothering you. The wedding? Grace?"

Mac lightly nodded her head from side to side. "A little of both."

"So you and Grace _are_ hiding something?"

Mac sighed sharply. After a moment of silence, Mac made a small growl of frustration, turning to Harm, and pointed a finger in his face. "Look, you can't breathe a word of this, you promise?"

"I promise." Harm replied innocently.

"Okay...Grace was kissed by Eric today."

Harm blinked, his jaw slowly dropping. "She did _what_ with _who_?!"

"Shh!" Mac hissed, "I told her I wouldn't say anything to you!"

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't she want me to know?!"

Mac made a dry chuckle. "Harm, you've always hated all her boyfriends."

"I have not!"

"Yes you have!"

"...Okay, I have...but I didn't hate Eric."

"But he kissed her."

"I know. What I meant was, I've always hated her boyfriends from the start. I never hated Eric."

Mac dropped her head a little. "Until now."

"Until now." Harm confirmed. 

Mac shook her head, wondering how that conversation actually made sense. "Look, Harm, just...don't say anything to her, all right?"

"All right." Harm answered restlessly as he laid down in the bed.

"And don't treat Eric any differently."

"I won't!"

"Especially since he and his parents are coming over for dinner tomorrow night."

Mac avoided Harm's expression by turning off her lamp, and sinking down into the covers, turning on her side. 

***

2230 ZULU

Rabb Home

Virginia

Next Day

Mac sat the extra three dinner plates. Two across from Grace's seat, and one next to her. As she placed the knives and forks, a pot clattered in the kitchen causing, yet again, Grace's cat, Merlin to tear out of there. Mac watched the cat as it skidded past her into the foyer, and scrambled up the stairs. Mac made a light chuckle. 

 Having the feeling she was needed in the kitchen, Mac pushed open the swinging door. What she saw made her jaw drop. Grace stood motionless a foot away from Harm, who stared down at his feet. And at his feet, a pot rolled around on the floor, with its contents (Harm's homemade tomato sauce) splattered all over the floor and up to Harm's shins. Mac stepped slowly into the room.

"What happened?"

Harm and Grace seemed to just realize Mac was in the room, and they whipped their heads around at her. Grace picked up the pot, containing barely a cup of sauce, and placed it on the stove. 

"I'd taken it off the burner, and the handles were hot, and I..."

Tomato sauce had formed around Harm's shoes and when he backed away, the sauce filled in the footprints. Mac, at a loss for words, just pointed at the garage door, which connected into the kitchen. 

"Just...go get the mop."

Harm took off his shoes and grabbed the roll of paper towels. Mac brought the trashcan over as the two started to clean up the mess. 

"Well, what do we do now?" Mac grumbled as she tossed a sauce-soaked paper towel into the trash. 

Harm shrugged. "We still have Prego."

Grace came back in with the mop, but handed it to Mac when the doorbell rang. "They're early." She murmured as she left the kitchen. 

Grace hurriedly approached the door, and then halted in front of it, smoothing over her blouse and patting her hair. Feeling as satisfied as she could be, she took in a deep breath and opened the door. The three jerked their heads up, as if they'd been talking. Grace smiled politely and stepped back so the Stiles could come in. 

"Evening, Grace!" Mrs. Stiles said with a kind smile. 

 Grace had always liked the woman. She was thoughtful and quite gregarious, always wanting to talk to someone. Grace knew that was where Eric had inherited the trait. He certainly didn't get it from Mr. Stiles. Grace often wondered how the three could ever live together. Mr. Stiles was quiet, reserved, and seemed to carry a perpetual frown. He was also a field agent who was being sent to Saudi Arabia in a few days. Certainly not anything to be happy about, and Mr. Stiles didn't try to hide it. He nodded his graying head at Grace.   

Eric stood in between in his parents, his arms crossed and his expression deadpan. He looked just the way Grace had imagined when she talked to him on the phone the night before. 

Mrs. Stiles broke the awkward silence and held up a foil-covered plate. "My homemade fudge."

Grace reached to take it, but Mrs. Stiles recoiled and instead headed towards the kitchen. "I'll take it and see if I can help in there."

Suddenly remembering the accident and not wanting to embarrass her parents, Grace skidded past her and stood in front of the kitchen door. 

"You shouldn't go in there."

Mrs. Stiles narrowed her brown eyes. "Why?"

Grace turned her head a little towards the door. "Um...because Harm and Mac don't really like anyone in the kitchen when they're cooking!" Grace said it loudly, hoping her parents would hear from inside. Mrs. Stiles waved her had dismissively. 

"Nonsense." The woman pushed past Grace, shoving the swinging door open. Grace followed her in with Mr. Stiles behind her, to find her parents hovered over the stove. They both picked up their heads and grinned. Grace also observed that Harm was in a different pair of jeans. Where he got them, and how, Grace wasn't sure, and didn't really want to know. 

"Mike, Jackie, I'm so glad you could come! Let me take your coats." Mac went over to them and hugged each. As the adults exchanged pleasantries, Grace took this as an opportunity to talk to Eric alone. She quietly stepped out of the kitchen and down the hallway to see Eric in the living room. He was examining photographs that rested on the fireplace mantel. Grace walked silently into the living room and stood next to him. 

"This is a good photo of you." Eric pointed to a photograph of her and her parents at the Marines vs. Navy baseball game

Grace smirked. "We had a good time there."

Eric glanced over at her and gave her a once over. "You look nice."

She was wearing a white button-down shirt with three-fourths sleeves. She then wore a black eyelet skirt that went modestly to her knees. As opposed to Eric, who had baggy blue jeans and a black T-shirt displaying the letters, "VH" for "Van Halen." 

The two stayed silent for record time until Eric pointed to the front door. "You know, I can leave, I came in my own car—"

"No, of course not. Stay. Just because what happened yesterday was...unorthodox of us doesn't mean we can't still be friends." Grace explained quietly. 

Grace waited for his answer and when she didn't get one, she turned to him. He looked like he wanted to say something. She could see it in his eyes. But he looked away when laughter erupted from the kitchen. 

***

2300 ZULU

Mrs. Stiles was the backbone of the dinner conversation. She wouldn't allow a moment of silence and filled it with anything and everything. At the moment, she was trying to get to the punch line of her joke. Unfortunately, Mrs. Stiles wasn't very talented in delivering good jokes, because she was usually either the only one that understood it, or it really just wasn't very funny. The latter was typical. 

"...And so, the Rabbi said, 'Of course I can't! Not without my yarmulke!' " The poor woman burst out laughing as if she'd told a joke worthy enough to be laughed at...

 After a second or two of silence, everyone chimed in with forced laughter, which quickly died down. After another minute of silence, Mrs. Stiles started in again. 

"So, Harm, is Sergei going to be your best man?"

Harm leaned forward in the chair, crossing his hands on the table. "He would have been, but he's training for a new position in Russia. Plus is own wedding is being planned. So it'll be Lt. Roberts."

"Aw, and what about you, Mac? Your maid of honor...?"

Mac glanced over at Grace. She, Harm, and Grace knew she wouldn't be here for the wedding. "Grace will have that honor." She said quietly.

The girl looked down at her lap. Mrs. Stiles instantly detected the seriousness thicken in the room, and she clearly couldn't figure out why. 

Harm changed the subject and directed his attention to Eric. "So, I hear you're going to spook school next year—" Harm stopped when he caught Grace's expression. She shook her head and cut her hand under her chin, motioning for him to stop right there. But it was too late. 

Eric sighed. "Guess so."

Mr. Stiles nodded. "He'll be a third generation agent for the CIA," the man then looked his son in the eye, "He should be proud."

Eric clearly wanted to rebuke that remark, and you could see him trying to restrain himself. Mrs. Stiles could feel the tension in the room now more than ever and she nervously bit a nail. Mac kept her head lowered. Grace had told her everything about Eric's anger toward his parents, principally his father, for forcing him into the family business. So though she knew all this, she hadn't said anything to Harm, and he was clueless about the situation.

Harm's eyes flickered back and forth from Mr. Stiles to Eric. "...Why wouldn't he be proud?"

That was the straw that broke the camel's back, and Eric chuckled dryly, glancing over at Harm. "You wanna know why? Because _I_ didn't have a say it in. _I_ didn't have any choice! Because apparently, _my_ life has to be decided by somebody else!"

The happiness that poured from Mrs. Stiles a moment ago had completely washed away. "Eric this is neither the time nor the place to discuss this." 

"No, Mom, just ask Grace, she completely agrees with me!"

All eyes were suddenly on Grace and the girl turned her head to Eric, her eyes crazed. Eric pointed at his parents. "Go ahead, tell them what you told me!"

Grace was speechless. She couldn't believe he was putting her on the spot like this. Eric shook his head. 

"Fine, I'll do it! Grace told me that I have a choice too! That you can't _make_ me go! That doctors are just as important as CIA agents! And you know what, I agree with her!"

"Damn it, Eric, we've already discussed this," Mr. Stiles said through clenched teeth, "and the answer's final!" Mr. Stiles then turned his attention to Grace, "And judging by this young woman's recent actions, I don't want you listening to anything she says."

Harm narrowed his eyes. "Whoa, whoa, if you're referring to the 'actions' I think you are, you should know that they were _fully_ carried out by _your_ son!"

Grace mouth formed an, "O" and she whipped around to her mother. "You _told_ him?!"

Mac tried to stutter a response when Eric lightly shoved Grace's shoulder. "You told _her_?!"

Grace scoffed. "She is my—" Grace caught herself, "_practically_ my mother, of course I told her!"

Mr. Stiles stood, glaring at Harm. "How dare you accuse my son of coming on to your—your—whatever she is to you!"

Mrs. Stiles gasped. "Michael! Show some courtesy!"

Mac scoffed. "He hasn't shown any yet, why start now?"

That was it. The entire room was in a verbal brawl. Harm against Mr. Stiles. Mrs. Stiles against Mac. And Grace against Eric. It was enough to put that cat, Merlin, into a coma as he dashed out of the room.

Grace wasn't sure how long it lasted. She was going back and forth with Eric about how her family, or part of it, had a right to know what was going on in her life. Eric shot back that it wasn't any of their business. 

"Then how did your _father_ know about it?!" Grace replied angrily.

Eric threw his hands in the air. "He's with the CIA, how the hell should I know!"

Grace rolled her eyes. "Oh, right, like I'm gonna believe _that_! You can't blame _all _your problems on him you know!"

Eric's face fumed with anger and he glanced around the room at all the once-had-been friends who were fighting to no end. He suddenly slammed his fist on the table. "SHUT UP!"

Everyone stopped and turned their heads to the young man. "Jus—just shut up!"

With that, Eric pushed his chair away from the table and stormed out of the dining room. A few seconds later, the front door opened, then slammed shut. Everybody flinched. The awkward silence that followed was enough for Mrs. Stiles to speak up. 

"...Well...I think we better leave now."

Mr. Stiles stomped quickly out of the dining room, stopping to take his coat from the living room. Mrs. Stiles nodded at Harm and Mac. 

"I'm sorry this happened," Mrs. Stiles turned around at the archway leading into the foyer. She obviously wanted to say something else, but shook her head and sighed. "Have a good evening."

When they all heard the front door close, Mac picked up the bowl of spaghetti. "Bitch." She mumbled as she went into the kitchen. 

Harm bit his lip and glanced over at Grace, who sat motionless in her chair. "You okay?" He murmured. 

Grace turned her head slightly in his direction, but didn't look at him. "I dunno. Is losing your best friend okay?"

Harm didn't answer, because he didn't have to. So he let her continue. 

"I'd hoped to leave this place with everything...right. Even though it won't make a difference in the future."

"I know." Harm concurred. 

Making a sharp sigh, Grace stood, taking her plate. She stopped a moment and finally locked gazes with her father. "I'm kind of glad nothing here will take affect. I've screwed up enough of this place."

With that, she took her and Eric's plate into the kitchen. 

***

2130 ZULU

JAG HQ

Falls Church, Virginia

Friday, October 29th

Grace stood in the entrance to the bullpen, just watching everyone. Harriet had just buzzed by. Bud was on her heels pleading with her about something. Gunny was trying to reason with someone on the phone and was speaking in rapid Spanish. Sturgis was in his office practicing a closing argument. Tiner followed Coates around the bullpen as she complained about her friend's boyfriend. The office was just as it should be. Even fifteen years from this point, the atmosphere was the same. Just different, or older, people occupied it. Grace stepped towards them. She ran into Tiner and Coates first. They each gave her a smile. 

"Going trick-or-treating Sunday?" Tiner joked. 

Grace grinned. "Cute, Tiner."

Coates frowned. "It's not so funny. I went trick-or-treating right up until I finished high school!"

Tiner turned his neck to her. "No way...I did too!"

Grace smiled at the two as they made yet another comparison between each other. Grace was glad she didn't intervene too much in those two's lives. They turned out just fine, finally falling in love and eventually marrying. Though having enough money was a constant problem for them for a while, they got through it. Grace was proud of them. 

 Leaving those two to fall even more head-over-heels for each other, Grace almost ran  right into Harriet and Bud. Grace smiled at the very-pregnant Harriet. 

"He'll be wonderful." Grace murmured. 

Harriet and Bud exchanged glanced. "Or she." Harriet said hopefully.

Grace nodded. "Sure."

After Jimmy, they would end up having another daughter and then a final son. 

As Grace passed Sturgis's office, he waved her in. 

"Grace, just the lady I wanted to see. I could use an audience, do you mind?"

Grace looked towards the admiral's office, her main goal. "Would like to, Sturgis, but I can't. Call Bobbi?"

Sturgis put the index cards down on his desk and reached for the phone. "Not a bad idea."

Grace nodded. Sturgis and Bobbi's relationship was rocky at first, being that they were so alike. But the two found ways to compromise, which taught them both a lot about marriage.

As Grace passed Gunny's desk, she watched him sadly as he continued to speak Spanish over the phone. Victor Galindez would eventually become an officer, but wouldn't live long enough for his career to sparkle as it would have. He was killed defending his family at his home from a burglar when Grace was twelve. 

 As she passed his desk, she strolled into the front office and knocked on the admiral's door. She heard an, "Enter" from inside, and she opened the door. The admiral sat with his head bent over his work, reading documents. Grace sighed ruefully. This was the last time she would talk to AJ when he was completely in control of his mind. 

 AJ lifted his head, giving a double take when he saw her. "Grace, good I need to talk to you."

Grace sat in one of the leather chairs and let him speak first. 

"Did you know our office received four calls from Daniel Harden this afternoon?"

Grace cringed. "Four? Well, that's less than last week..."

AJ took off his spectacles, narrowing his little eyes. "Just how the hell did he get the number here anyway?"

Grace shrugged. "Who knows."

AJ sighed, putting his glasses back on. "Was there something you wanted?" He asked, only half paying attention to her now that his attention was refocused on his documents. 

Grace lowered her eyes to the floor. Now that she knew she couldn't harm them, she decided to just tell the truth. "I came to say goodbye."

AJ eyes flicked to her and he lifted his head all the way. "All right...see you on Monday."

He went right back to those documents. Grace looked away. Of course he wouldn't understand, so Grace continued. 

"You've taught me everything I should know about life, AJ. The good and the bad of it. And you still do, you just...say the same things over again." Grace added solemnly, referring to his future Alzheimer's. AJ just stared at her, bewildered. Grace stood and walked out of the office, knowing if she stayed here any longer, she wouldn't want to leave. 

***

Yeah, see ya'll next week. I know I've said this before, but I really do promise you the conclusion will be next week. And if it isn't, you can all flame me ;D. 

~sancti 


	14. Conclusion

Thank you!!!

Pissed Off Poet: Aw, thank you! Yeah, it's sad. And it will get sadder, that is until the last few moments of this chapter! I know, Alzheimer's, my grandfather has just been diagnosed with the disease and it felt good to try and explain it through the story. Anywho, thank you again and see ya next week! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*310*~ on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, POET!!!!!!!

Mimmi: First before I address anything else, I have to say I'm so sorry about that little Dutch/Swedish mix-up, lol. I get so confused with what who speaks what over there, lol. Now lemme get it straight, it's in _Holland_ that they speak Dutch, correct?? And Sweden is Swedish, boy I shoulda got that one, lol. I feel so silly!!! Okay, anywho, yeah the last scene I thought was pretty sad, but necessary. It kind of gives an overview of our favorite characters' futures. Heeheehee, I can't wait for you to read!!! Thank you, and see ya next week! 

e-dog: LOL, the argument at dinner was my favorite part of that chapter. Oh, I think it's okay if you curse in a review :D. Thank you so much, and look! The actual conclusion is here!! Yippee!!! :D See ya next week!

Deb: I know, it's sad :(. But I figured if everybody lived happily ever after, it wouldn't seem very realistic, so I had to stir things up a bit. And I just wanted to cry when I was writing about Gunny, because I can picture him doing that. Anywho, thank you so much and see ya next week!

Jagchick105: Hey there! LoL, I'll answer both of your reviews here :). Aw, thank you! I really do like to torture these characters with saddening experiences, don't I? Hehe, well, thank you, I try my best to keep you guys, and myself, entertained! Oh, believe me, you have any questions about the homeschooling, don't hold back. Yes, there are a lot of homeschool groups all over the place. What I did, was there was this church that has classrooms in it, and they let homeschoolers use them once a week. Like, okay, my mom hates math. And when I got into geometry, she really didn't wanna do it, so I went to these homeschool classes (usually taught by other homeschooling parents) to get my geometry in. And they have stuff like that all over the place. Oh my, I can't imagine homeschooling eight children. Though they say that eventually, the older kids can help the little ones, but I just can't imagine that many ppl in one house at one time!!!! Yikes, that's a busy school!! Aw, it's okay to be nervous! I left grade school after fourth grade, and I had no idea what to expect. I had never even heard of homeschooling until my mom mentioned it because her friend homeschooled her kids. But like I said, the first year is the toughest, because it's new. Anywho, I'll let you read, and see ya next week!!

Kiwi: Aw, thank you! I'm so glad this story has that effect, that's really what I was aimin' for!!! Thank you so much, and I'll see ya next week :). 

ArwenUndomiel: Oh, I know, it's become a terrible habit, adding more things to the story and postponing the end. Either that, or I am just really bad at estimating! The latter might be true...it was so sad for me to write that last scene with Grace and AJ, and everybody at the office. Ahhh...hmm...well, there will be a last Grace/Eric moment before she leaves, so do not despair!! :D ....Anywho, thank you for all the wishes of good luck, I need it! See ya next week!

Sunchaser2: LOL!!!!! Yeah, it pretty much was the "dinner party from hell," lol, very well put. Thank you, and see ya next week!!

DD2: Yay! No flames! :D LoL, I'm glad you like that there's more. I thought ppl would be irritated, lol!! Thank you so much, and see ya next week!

JagSister: LoL, I'm glad you don't mind, because I've sure said, "This is gonna be the last chapter" more than I should have! :) Thank you, and see ya next week! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*320*~ on the review list!!! THANK YOU, JAG!!!!

Girlgunner: I know, it was a tad short. But you should consider yourself lucky! If I made it any longer, I might have had to leave ya with a cliffhanger *Dragnet music plays*!!!! Yes, it is sad, but I'm still having fun :). Heehee, and, well, as for Eric, you're just gonna have to read!! :D thank you and see ya next week!

Moonlights Sundance: Welcome back! Oh my, that is good advice, I'll remember that. I know, I don't want it to end, but I've been going solid for 14 weeks now and me poor head needs a coffee break!!! :) Thank you so much, and see you next week!

Chloe: Aw, it's okay. Just glad you're back!! Ooh! Yay! I inspired! Oh, yes, pleeaaase update!!! Make sure poor Mac and Harm live!!!!! And if they don't, I SHALL HUNT YOU DOWN!!!! *blink*...okay, I wouldn't, but I would be quite upset *smiles sweetly* thank you and see ya next week!

Cmaf: Arg! I don't wanna end it, but I only have so many ideas for this! But thank you for the push. This story has already become much longer than was intended....oh, I'm sorry, I love Gunny too, but I couldn't help it. I had to kill somebody off. Okay, I didn't _have_ to, but it created some drama, right? Right??? Yeah, so, okay, thank you and see ya next week!!! (btw, have I told you how much I love your signature "*i'm not really here etc., lol, I laugh every time i see it!!! :D )

Pennithil: Mmmm, now you're giving me second thoughts, pennit!!! Arg!!! *sigh* but you know...there is that sequel I was not-so-subtly hinting at.........hmm....you've just given me an idea......though I don't wanna repeat myself, you know with Gunny.....arg, okay, well, I'm gonna think about this some more, thank you for the idea :D. Don't worry, Eric's situation will be handled in this chapter :). Thank ya very much, and see you next week!

Carby24/7: LOL, I was crackin' myself up writing that fight scene, but then it got serious and I got sad :(. Aw, thank you for all the compliments :D. Yeah, Grace really has to leave as soon as she can before she grows any closer to _anybody_. It's tough, but necessary...thank you again, and I'll see ya next week :). 

CharmedMummy: *whimper* I know, I could have expanded more on the Harm/Mac scenes. But there's more of that in this chapter. Heehee, and as you'll see in this chapter, Eric's desperate grasp at straws to prove he didn't say anything about him and Grace will come out when Grace has her last talk with him. I do see though how it would be far-fetched that "CIA knows all" which is why Grace doubted him. Anywho, thank you so much again, you're like my unofficial beta-reader, lol! See ya next week!

Nada Zimri: Hey there, ol' buddy, ol' pal! LoL, well, I had to add _some_ drama to it, and I thought killing Gunny was tragic...it obviously worked...*hands tissue*...*sniff*...i sowwy you so sad...anywho, thank ya very much as always and see ya next week!!

NavyCB: Thank you! The ending of that last chapter was my fav part of the whole chapter, thank you for noticing :). Thanks, and see ya next week!

Winnie bear: Hey there! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you guys are patient enough with me, teeheehee, lol. See ya next week! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*330*~ on the review list! THANK YOU, WINNIE!!!!!

A/N: Well, guys. We did it. And, yes, I mean _we_. This project would have never gotten this far without the constant support from all of you, including all the fellow authors out there whom I've learned so much from. All of you have made creating this little fic so much fun, and I've shaped up a little bit too. You made me wanna keep that Friday schedule every week. Which is a big thing to me, because I'm usually not very organized. So really, you all helped me build a very useful trait :D. Oh, and lastly, the title of this story will finally make sense at the end of the chapter :D.  

For Grandpa—I hope you remember me. 

Chapter 14: Conclusion 

0720 ZULU

Rabb Home

Virginia

Saturday, Oct. 30

 Grace rolled over again, pulling the blanket to her chin. Merlin, lying comfortably at her feet, purred every time she moved. She rolled over to her other side, and the purring got louder. Grace sighed. It was two in the morning, and she was wide-awake. Not good. She quite enjoyed sleeping in. Grace sat up and threw the covers aside, then crossed her legs. Merlin, thinking it was playtime, got up and rubbed her knee with his head, then swat at a loose string from her pajama top. 

 Knowing she wouldn't fall asleep any time soon, Grace slid off the bed and went over to her desk. She'd forgotten to turn off her computer, so she sat right down. Grace still couldn't believe the primitiveness of these computers. They were so...bulky. Yeah, bulky was the right word. And slow. Even with this thing they called, "DSL hookup." 

 Grace logged onto her Yahoo Messenger and found she had thirteen away messages. Twelve of them from Daniel. She shook her head. How Daniel ever got her screen name, she would never know. Grace then chuckled at the theory that Eric gave it to him just to spite her. 

 A message came up from her unofficial psychiatrist, "Phdman04." 

"_Hey there."_ He wrote. 

Grace wrote a hey back. This was good. She needed someone to spill to. 

"_You're up late._"

"_Can't sleep._" She replied.

"_The wedding?_"

"_Eric troubles._"

"_I see. What did he do now?_"

"_...no, it's not his fault, not completely anyway. This time it was both of us."_

"_Are you mad at him?"_

Grace thought it over. Was she? She dug through her feelings, grasping for any dislike she had against Eric. She could find none. 

"_No. I'm not. But I know he's mad at me._"

"_Well, just give him a few days to cool down._"

Grace froze. A few days? She didn't have a few days. She had today and tomorrow. "_I can't. There's another problem."_

_"Yes?"_

_"I'm," _Grace paused. Might as well tell him the half-truth, "_I'm moving. Far away. I'll probably never see him again."_

Grace waited for his answer, but it didn't come immediately, as it usually did. Which meant he had a lot to say.  

"_Oh. Well, in that case, I suggest you clear the dust before you leave. Because if you don't, you'll be in pain for a long time wondering what you could have done to resolve things between you two."_

That was a good point. Though it wouldn't make a difference for Eric in the future, it would still impact her. He was right. She would feel much better if she resolved things before she left. She had to. But...how? They'd said so many things to each other at dinner, she wouldn't be surprised if he never wanted to speak to her again! Not that it would matter to _him_ after she left. 

 Probably the worst thing she said was telling Eric he blamed all his problems on his father. She knew that comment had degraded his "manhood" and that feeling of "pride." And it just plain hurt him. However, Eric was partially correct about one thing. She didn't _have_ to tell her mother about the kiss. She simply _wanted_ to. Sure, she could have told only Nancy about it, Eric could have cared less. But Nancy would've tried to make a big deal about it. If anything, Nancy would probably have tried to get them together. 

***

0730 ZULU

Harm stared at the stippling on his ceiling. He remembered when they'd first moved here, he would get headaches because the ceiling was so low, or there actually _were_ ceilings. Unlike at his Union Station apartment, where you could see the rafters...

"Harm, are you awake?" Mac moaned from next to him. Harm looked over at her. She was on her side with her back to him. 

"How did you know?" He replied. 

She turned over on her back. "You were sighing instead of snoring."

Harm scoffed, ready to come back with the old, "I do not snore," response, which would be answered with the classic, "How would you know?" So he decided to spare himself the embarrassment of being wrong.

"I could say the same about you." 

"Har, har." Mac answered dryly. 

The two stayed quiet for another minute. 

"What are you thinking about?" Mac asked as Harm wrapped an arm around her and she rested her head on his chest. 

"Probably the same thing you are."

"Ohhh, okay then what am _I_ thinking about?"

"Grace." Harm replied effortlessly. 

Mac sighed. "...Yeah...Grace...what—what do you think is gonna happen to us when she...well, you know, when she leaves?"

Mac patiently waited for an answer, but the one she got disturbed her.

"...Poof?" Harm guessed. 

Mac turned over, crossing her arms on his chest and resting her chin on them. Harm tenderly rubbed her back. "Poof? Wha—what do you mean by 'poof'?"

Harm lightly shrugged. "From what she..._tried_ to describe, once she goes...so does this place."

Mac dipped her head a little. "So this place will go...poof."

Harm smirked. "I dunno how it works, Mac."

"Do I really wanna go 'poof'?" Mac asked more to herself. 

Harm pat her back, then closed his eyes. Mac nudged him. "How can you sleep?"

Harm sighed. "Lemme try first, then I'll tell you." 

She rolled her eyes and swayed back on her back. Mac felt seven minutes and thirty seconds go by. "You fall asleep yet?"

No answer. 

"Harm?"

He was out. His breathing was deep, slow, and steady. Sighing, Mac rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Suddenly, a short snort escaped him. Mac twitched. She lifted her head to look at him. A full-blown snore erupted and Mac nudged him. 

"Harm, you're snoring."

He snored again and Mac gritted her teeth. She'd _never_ fall asleep with all this racket. Mac made a small growl as she threw the covers aside. She swung her feet to the floor, putting her no-skid socks on (the entire upper floor of the house was hard wood). She then tore the comforter off the bed, making Harm flinch a little. She lazily folded the comforter up, snatched her pillow, and didn't try to mask her footsteps as she stomped out of the bedroom. 

With part of the large blanket dragging along the floor behind her, Mac made her way down the hallway. She passed the bathroom and the spare room (converted into office) before she got to Grace's room. She stopped there, her ears detecting something. Mac put her ear to the door and heard the tapping of fingers on a keyboard. 

_What's she doing on that thing this late_?

Mac was about to go in there and demand an explanation, but she halted. The kid had barely two more days of being here. Mac didn't want her to leave hating her. Mac brought her hand away from the door and continued to the stairs. 

***

1614 ZULU

Grace rubbed her eye as she clomped down the wooden stairs. At the same time, Harm (in his day clothes already since it was nearly eleven-thirty) came into the house from the front door with the paper. He smirked, looking up at her as she descended the stairs. 

"Hey, look who decided to..._grace_ us with her presence this morning!"

Grace shot him a frown. "That's not funny." She said mirthlessly. 

"I know," Harm admitted. He then nodded over at the living room, which had its sliding doors closes, "unfortunately, your mother still hasn't decided to face the world yet."

Grace grunted as she reached the first floor and followed her father into the kitchen. "She didn't get a very good sleep. I heard her outside my room early this morning."  

Harm tossed the paper onto the kitchen table, giving a quick glance to Grace. "Oh, so _you_ were awake too..."

She didn't have to say yes and instead wandered over to the fridge. She examined the contents and scrunched her nose. "We need to go shopping."

"We can last 'til Monday—" Harm stopped and slowly glanced over at Grace. She was staring at him intently. After a few seconds, she looked away, returning her gaze to the fridge. 

"I'm sorry." Harm murmured. 

"No big deal." She answered quickly, hiding behind the refrigerator door. It was desperate, but she wanted to hide the lone tear that slid down her cheek. The door suddenly started to close and she lowered her head. She listened to the suction of air as the door shut, and sensed him standing next to her. She felt the nerves twitch in her arms and knees. He put a hand on her shoulder and that was all she needed to wrap her arms around him and weep into his chest. Harm engulfed her in the hug and let her cry. 

 It was déjà vu. Almost exactly a year ago, Grace had run into these very arms. But the hug she'd received then was uncomfortable...almost like he pitied her more than anything. But now, it had that fatherly love she'd longed for at that time, and got used to over the past year. She finally lifted her head, her arms still securely locked around him, and she looked up, half-expecting him to be the older man in that photograph. Grace was shocked. She hadn't thought about _that_ Dad for a long time. 

 Harm blinked. "What?"

Grace shrugged a shoulder and put her head back down, feeling the tears soak into his shirt. 

***

1830 ZULU

Pathetic.

Grace had to laugh at herself. It was the second to the last day she would ever be here, and here she was watching soap operas. 

Pathetic. She again said to herself. 

"Oh, this is pathetic." Mac quipped as she stepped into the living room. 

Grace shrugged and brought the comforter (the same one Mac had yet to bring back to the bedroom) up to her chin. 

"I don't care. I'm gonna find out if it's Kevin's or Vince's baby before I go anywhere." 

"Oh...good point." Mac plopped down next to her daughter, grabbing some of the blanket for herself. 

"Where's Dad?"

"About to mow the lawn for the last time until spring."

Grace didn't want to remind her parents that, if everything happened as planned, they wouldn't have to worry about mowing that lawn ever again. At least in this time, anyway. But Grace guessed the two just wanted to stay as normal as they could before...whatever was going to happen.

"Do you remember when I first met you?" Mac said as she kept her eyes glued to the television screen.

Grace nodded, also keeping her attention on the TV. "Sure."

"What did you first think when you saw me?"

Grace blinked, finally breaking her gaze and shifting it to her mother. "Um, well, I remember thinking how weird it was to see you in uniform."

Mac snapped her head over to look at Grace. "You mean, I...I retired?"

She nodded. "A bit after I was born."

Mac blinked in surprise and recoiled her head a little bit. "Wow."

"Yeah...but it's funny, I remember you telling me it was the easiest decision to make after I was born. That motherhood seemed more inviting than case files ever did."

Mac smirked. "I—I said that?"

The girl nodded. 

"Hmph. What else?"

"What else what?"

"What else did you think?"

Grace stared at the floor, pondering the question. Her eyes narrowed, then she looked over at her mother. "Webb."

"...What about him?"

"Did you guys ever..."

Mac dropped her jaw. "No!"

Grace raised an eyebrow. "But he did try to..."

"No!" She snapped.

Grace grunted and dipped down lower into the sofa. She could have sworn Webb and her mother had something at one time. Then it occurred to her that perhaps it didn't happen yet. And it would never happen here now that her parents were marrying. Grace would have to question her mother about it when she got back. 

Suddenly getting the feeling she was being watched, Grace gave her mother a sidelong glance. Mac was staring at her with questioning eyes. When she had her daughter's attention, she spoke. 

"You know, you've told me a lot about how your father has changed, but...what about me?"

Grace blinked in surprise. Grace had done that on purpose. She told Mac about the future Harm, and she'd told Harm about the future Mac. Grace hardly spoke of them the other way around. 

"Uh...well...I dunno, you just became more...Momish." 

Mac rolled the word over in her head. "...Momish." She said, as if she was testing it out, "I can be Momish." She assured herself. 

Mac elbowed Grace. "What else? Do I pick up a hobby or something?"

Grace made a half-smile, still staring at the TV. "Gardening. But you hate lawn gnomes."

Mac thought it over. "I do hate lawn gnomes. They're just so—"

"Creepy," Grace finished for her, "You called them 'creepy little men,' because you said you'd had your fair share of creepy men in your life. But one year, Dad bought a lawn gnome for your anniversary and taped a blown-up picture of his face onto the gnome's face and asked if it was creepy now."

Mac chuckled dryly. That definitely sounded like something Harm would do. "What did I do with it?"

"You put it in the corner of your bedroom. It was there for a long time."

"Was?"

Grace turned the TV off, now knowing that Vince was the father and gave full attention to her mother. "It was the craziest thing. When I was ten, somebody broke into the house. It was late, and we were all coming back from a movie or something. Anyway, Dad noticed the broken window and told us to stay in the car. He got his gun from the kitchen and heard the guy upstairs. Well, he ended up scaring the robber so bad, the guy snatched what he could and ran past Dad and out of the house. Turns out, the idiot stole the lawn gnome thinking it was a sculpture since it was so dark."

Mac laughed, fully intrigued by the story. "You're kidding!"

The two shared some more laughs, which led Grace to realize some daunting facts. She talked more to her mother in this past year, than she thought she ever had with her future mom. It wasn't just her father that had changed. There were some acute differences with Mac as well. For instance, when she talked to her now, it was like chatting with a big sister, or a best friend. Though she'd always liked to consider her and other mom friends, there were certain things Grace just wouldn't discuss with her. Her love life for one was strictly classified information. While here, Grace told Mac just about everything that was going on in that department. Why did she feel so much more comfortable here? Was it Mac's more friendly youthfulness? Not to say the future Mac wasn't friendly, but let's face it...people age. 

 The two heard the lawn mower's engine cut, then someone shouted. Mac and Grace exchanged glances. The back door suddenly opened and closed with a slam. 

"You okay, sailor?" Mac yelled over her shoulder. 

Slow, heavy footsteps came down the hallway outside the living room. 

"Harm?"

The footsteps neared, and Mac's smile diminished. "H—Harm?"

Grace frowned, and she stared at the foyer that could be seen from the living room. Mac slowly rose from the couch and motioned for Grace to stay. She started to protest, but her mother gave her a look, and she closed her mouth. Mac, using all her military prowess, stepped quietly towards the foyer. The footsteps on the other side slowed and then stopped. Desperate for any kind of weapon, Mac took hold of an empty vase, and charged out of the room, holding the vase up over her head. But the Marine halted, and she slowly lowered her weapon, suddenly bursting out laughing. 

 Grace got up from the couch, sprinting to her mother's side. What she saw triggered the same reaction. Harm stood in the hallway, a deep frown on his oil-covered face. His entire torso was dripping with the black engine oil, and his piercing blue/green eyes stood out like owl's eyes. 

The two of them continued laugh.

Harm snorted. "I'm sure you girls think this is real amusing."

Mac finally caught her breath. "What," she wheezed, "the hell happened to you?!"

Ignoring the guffaws, Harm explained with as much dignity as he could. "Lawn mower ate a branch. Something must have been cracked inside the mower, oil spewed everywhere."

It just made them laugh even harder. Harm bit his lip, trying to contain himself. "You know, it'd be even funnier if you were covered in this."

Mac noted the warning in Harm's tone, and she stopped laughing. Grace's smile slowly turned into a frown. 

Harm held his arms open to them. Mac put a hand up in defense. "Don't you dare, squid." Grace backed behind her mother towards the front door, "You are not getting oil all over this floor!" Mac continued. 

Harm shrugged. "We're re-doing it anyway."

Mac tried to stay serious, but a smile played across her lips as she and Grace continued to back away. At first, none of them moved, then Harm dove, grabbing Mac first. She shrieked as her fiancé picked her up. Grace backed away, avoiding the flying drips of oil. As Mac laughed and yelled at the same time for Harm to put her down, the phone rang and Grace raced into the living room. She was still laughing as she picked up the phone. 

"He—hello?!"

Mac let out another shriek and Grace guessed Harm was tickling her now. 

"Grace?!"

"Webb, hey!"

"NO, PUT ME DOWN!" Mac pleaded.

Grace cringed, wondering what was going through Webb's head at that moment. 

"What the hell is going there?!" The CIA agent exclaimed on the other line.

"Uh, um, well," Grace stuttered, "I, uh, I have the TV up loud."

"STOP IT!"

"That sounds like Mac!"

While Grace searched for a good enough answer, she suddenly realized the laughing stopped. Grace lowered the phone from her ear, then whipped around when she heard the floorboard creak. Her eyes enlarged and she put her hands out in front of her. 

"No, no, no—get away!"

It was too late, her parents attacked, and before she knew it, she was covered in the oil herself. 

Meanwhile, Webb couldn't be heard over their laughter.

"Grace? Mac? What the—Harm?"

***

2314 ZULU

"Really, Webb, we're sorry for worrying you...okay...I will...good night." Mac slowly hung up the phone, a tight smile on her face. Harm and Grace glanced up from the floor where they tried to get the oil out of the wood, with little success.

Mac shook her head. "Now we have to buy carpet." 

Grace, who'd been on her knees, sat back on the floor. She tossed the oil-soaked paper towel into the garbage can that had been dragged into the living room before. 

"So, did Webb believe you?"

Mac rolled her eyes as she sat down in between them. "Maybe. You know how he is."

Grace fiddled with an cardboard paper towel roll, then nodded at the wall clock. "What are we doing for dinner?"

Harm shrugged. "Beltway burgers?"

Mac, who'd had her head cocked to the side, slowly straightened it with a smile. "Are you kidding?"

The aviator sighed. "Well, they've gotta have some kind of vegetable meal."

Mac chuckled. "Right," She turned to her daughter, "What do you say?"

Grace smirked. "Beltway burgers it is."

***

0830 ZULU

October 31st

It had only just occurred to Grace why her parents did what did today. After dinner, they'd all went into DC and walked around for a couple hours visiting the monuments, making a special trip to the Wall. After that, they caught a midnight movie, then came home. It was now 0330, and as soon as Grace lied down in bed, she thanked God three times for feather pillows. But now that her brain relaxed from the day's crazy "activities," Grace couldn't help but think about the "why" behind the craziness. 

 The fact was, that was the last full day she was going to have with these people. It was like going to the wake of someone's funeral. 

And the next day would be the funeral.

Hers.

Though it wasn't meant literally, that's what it felt like. Before all of them went to bed, they'd sat down and discussed what would happen the next day. They all decided it would be best to go to the Dupree Mansion right after lunch. Since the days were shorter, and neither of them saw the benefit of being there in the dark, getting "it" done early seemed like the best thing. 

Grace stared at the ceiling. Her ceiling. And the walls. There was still the slightest hint of a paint stench in the room. But she would never see this room, this ceiling, or these walls ever again. 

 Merlin purred at her feet as she changed the position of her legs. She'd miss that dumb cat. Grace suddenly sat up in the bed, and grabbed Merlin. She laid back down on her side, with an arm around the cat, holding him to her chest. Merlin was the kind of cat that didn't care where or how you held him, just as long as he was getting attention. Grace buried her face into his back, feeling his bony spine against her cheek, and she cried into his fur. 

***

1605 ZULU

Grace stirred when she heard the soft knock on her door. Her eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she noticed was that Merlin was gone. Well, not completely. He'd gone back down to her feet. Grace also discovered she was in the exact same position she fell asleep in. The arm she'd been lying on had gone dumb, and she winced when she turned over and saw Mac poke her head into the room. 

 "Breakfast is on the table." She said softly as she came fully into the room. 

Grace sat up slowly, rubbing her forehead. Mac sat down next to her on the bed. 

"You get enough sleep?"

Grace glanced over at her clock/radio. "About eight hours."

Her mother nodded. "Good...now come on, French toast awaits." She said as she patted her foot and stood. 

Grace took her arm. "Mom."

Mac turned around. "Yeah?"

"...Thanks. For everything."

Mac nodded and smiled. "Sure."

***

1813 ZULU

Streets of Georgetown

 The car was silent. Nobody could think of anything to say to comfort or help the situation. There was nothing to say really. Still, it made Grace uneasy. 

 Grace was staring out the SUV window, when she recognized a house. Her head shot up. "Stop!"

Harm and Mac flinched from the front seats. "What?"

"Jus—just stop the car, back up!"

Harm did so. He and Mac exchanged frowns when they saw the house that had captured Grace's attention. Harm pulled into the driveway and turned the car off. Grace sighed, staring at the front door. 

"I won't be long. I promise."

Harm slumped in the driver's seat. "Take your time, baby."

Grace slowly opened the back-seat door and hopped out of the SUV. She leisurely stepped up the driveway and the sidewalk, leading to the front porch. Grace stopped at the door and glanced back at her parents. She could see them nod from the other side of the windshield. Grace gingerly rose a hand to the door, and knocked. 

Nothing.

Grace felt tears well in her eyes. She couldn't leave without doing this. She knocked again, a little harder this time. 

No answer. 

Grace sniffed, reaching for the doorbell. But she then heard the door unlock from inside. The front door opened, and through the screen door, she saw Eric's face on the other side. He looked terrible. His hair was a mess, his clothes were completely wrinkled and baggy. And the way he stared at her... 

Grace tried to contain her surprise. "Hey," She said barely above a whisper. 

Eric swallowed. "Hey," he croaked out.

Grace looked past him. "Can I, um, can I come in?"

He turned his head and glanced around. "No, place is a mess. You know, with dad not here. Go to the backyard." He closed the door in her face. 

This is gonna be hard. Grace thought to herself as she started around the side of the house. Grace then just realized the lawn was in extreme need of being mowed. It was half a foot high. 

 She unlatched the gate, and entered the backyard. It turned out Mrs. Stiles was a fan of gardening too, and flowers of all shapes, sizes, and colors adorned the yard. Eric was sitting in a lawn chair on the patio, smoking a cigarette, of all things. Grace sat down in the chair next to him. 

"Since when did you start doing that?"

Eric shrugged, smashing the cigarette under his shoe. "Since Dad started leaving them out."

Grace looked down at Eric's shoe. About two-dozen smashed cigarettes surrounded his feet. Grace bit her lip. 

"Eric...there are a few things I need to tell you."

He sighed impatiently, as if this encounter was an annoyance. Grace clamped her jaw. There was no way she was going to take this crap from him. 

"Eric, if you wanna be somewhere else—go," She said firmly, "But know that you'll never see me again if you do."

This caught his attention, what was left of it, and he cranked his neck to look at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm—" Grace stopped, feeling her emotions flood again, "I'm going away."

"Where?" Eric demanded. 

"I can't say. It's far."

Eric scoffed and stood, walking away into the yard. Grace watched him, waiting for his reaction. He whipped around, pulling another cigarette out of his pocket. 

"Damn it, your foster parents are being transferred, aren't they?" He didn't let her answer and he continued his rampage, "you don't have to go with them, you know!" Eric then brought a lighter from another pocket, lighting the cigarette with practiced ease. He took a drag, staring down at the grass. When he looked back up, his face was twisted with anger. "That's it then? That's why you came, to say goodbye?"

Grace stood, strolling over to him. She looked him in the face, watching as he brought the drug to his lips. Grace scowled, yanking cigarette away, and crushing it under her own shoe. When she looked back up, she stared at him defiantly. 

"I came to say goodbye. And to tell say that you have and always will have a choice in your life. You want to help people, Eric. Just not in the way your father wants you to. And that's okay. I also wanted to tell you I was sorry. I don't think you blame all your problems on him. I know you don't." Grace reached her hand out, and grasped Eric's. She brought her gaze back to him and made a small smile, "You've been my best friend since day one, Eric Stiles. And I love you for that."

Eric's expression had fallen deadpan long ago. He watched her carefully as she said all this. He looked down at their hands. 

Grace smiled. "You remember what happened the last time you held my hand?"

Eric's gaze lifted, the smallest of a smile on his lips. In that smile, Grace knew he'd forgiven her. She leaned up, and brushed his lips with her own. It was simple and sweet. She wanted more, and she knew Eric did as well. But the two knew better than that. Eric gathered her in a hug, and embraced her like he would never let her go. So before Grace could change her mind, she loosened from his grasp. As she backed away from him, she still held onto his hand. And when she let go, she felt something inside her break. She decided it was her heart.     

***

1845 ZULU

Outside Georgetown, Virginia

It was pure déjà vu. The same cornfields, the same soybeans bushes. Exactly a year ago. Grace had been inwardly sobbing since they'd left Eric's. Though a couple tears managed to escape her, it was nothing her parents noticed. 

 Out of nowhere, a familiar nursery popped into her head. She said the words softly to herself. 

"Bye-lo, baby, bye-lo, baby. Daddy still loves you, Daddy still loves you, though he's gone to war." They were the only words she could remember. Where she heard them and how, she could just barely remember. Her gut told her that it was Grandma Trish who sang it to her. Whether it was because her father went somewhere overseas for whatever reason, she didn't know. It was so long ago. 

 The car stopped suddenly. Grace picked up her head. They'd stopped at the end of the long driveway that led to the mansion. Grace held her breath. 

"This is it." She said just above a whisper. 

Mac reached her hand down behind the seat, and Grace grasped it as the car made its ascent up the gravel drive. The SUV moved slowly, partially because Grace was sure Harm was resisting. But despite how slow he drove, the car made it to the front of the house. Grace cringed, the place was just as creepy during the day. Though she should have known that. A year ago, she'd stumbled out of this house into the morning light, confused, in pain, and ready to spit her venom. 

 The three of them stayed in the car for who knew how long, each accompanied by their own troubling thoughts. Grace was still leaning forward in the seat, holding onto Mac's hand. She let go, and reached for the door handle. 

"Let's go."

Grace got out of the car and stepped slowly up to the porch. She heard her the car doors open and close, then her parents' footsteps across the gravel. Within a few seconds, they stood were standing on either side of her. 

Mac shook her head. "You went into this thing at night?"

Grace nodded. "Yeah." Gathering her strength, Grace stepped up onto the large patio. She ran her hand along one of the large, white pillars covered in overgrowth. She closed her eyes, listening to the wind play with the wind chimes still hanging off the house. Then, a surge of energy flowed through her, and she strolled up to the double doors, reaching down, and flinging them both open. Dust again fell onto the three, and they waved it away as they stepped into the mansion. It creaked the same warning Grace was greeted with before. 

 They all looked around, Harm and Mac were in silent awe. Grace couldn't find that feeling. She'd seen this place before. She'd felt that "awe." But then she saw the ugly, deceptive side of this house. She'd witnessed its power. She was about to witness it again. 

 Grace pointed at the left side of the staircase. "There."

Her parents followed her to the foot of the stairs. Grace took in a deep breath. "Okay...if I remember correctly, there should be an axe in the kitchen," she said, pointing to the kitchen door, "I'm not about to leave the way I came in." Grace murmured more to herself. 

Harm came back a moment later with the axe. "How far up?"

Grace dug through her memory. She'd gone up four steps before hearing the first crack. "The fifth one."

Mac pulled Grace back. "Careful, Harm. That was just with the weight of Grace."

Harm put his back against the wall, and made his way carefully up the staircase. When he felt stable, he rose the axe, bringing it down hard into the wood. Grace flinched when she heard the first split of wood. Harm halted, waiting to make sure his own ground was still stable. He brought the axe down again. This time, wood actually felt through. 

He hit it again.

And again.

And one last time. He'd made a good-sized hole. He propped the axe against the wall and wiped some sweat from his brow. "Okay. I think it's big enough."

Grace slowly turned around to face her mother. Mac already had tears in her eyes. Grace wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the words, so Mac just embraced her, kissing her cheek and her head. Grace felt a sob rack her mother's body, and she hugged her tighter. Mac finally weakened her grip, and stared her in the eyes. 

"We love you. Be a good girl for me, okay?"

Grace nodded. "Count on it." 

 She turned around and carefully stepped up the couple stairs. Harm stood with his back against the wall, and his head lowered. He was crying, and trying not to show it. Grace wrapped her arms around him, and she finally let out a sob when he returned the hug. Grace looked up at him, and he made a small smile, wiping a tear away from her cheek. 

"You're really somethin', Gracie." He said with a laugh, "I know you're our daughter." He added solemnly. He kissed her on the forehead, then glanced down at the hole, which one could only see darkness below. 

 Grace got on the other side of it, and sat down at the edge, letting her legs dangle over it. Harm grasped her hands. Grace took a couple heavy breaths, like she was about to dive into water. 

"Don't forget to let me go, okay?" Grace reminded him. 

"I know."

Grace slid off the edge of the stairs and dangled there for a moment, Harm's hands securely wrapped around her wrists. Grace closed her eyes, keeping perfectly still. 

"Let me go."

She couldn't remember the fall. At one point, she thought she heard her mother's gasp, but it was muffled. The only feeling she suddenly had, was a pain in her back. 

***

"Grace!" She knew she heard her name. It was just so far away. So far. Grace opened her eyes, to have her vision assaulted by the beam of a flashlight. 

"GRACE! Say something!" She knew that voice. She could put a face to it. A name!

"Clay?" For such an effort she made to say his name, it didn't come out very loudly. She tried again. 

"Clay?"

She heard an excited laugh. "She's alive! She's okay!" Footsteps, far away. 

Grace blinked. The beam of her own flashlight was next to her and she grabbed it. As she sat up, she felt the bones crack a few muscles tighten. But she was fine. Grace then looked over herself. She sighed in relief. 

It wasn't a dream. It really happened.

She was wearing the clothes she left it. They were actually clothes Mac had bought her when she first crossed over. Footsteps pounded down the basement stairs and Clay came to her side, closely followed by Ben and Mandy. Clay wrapped an arm around her, supporting and helping her stand. 

"You all right?!"

Grace could have kissed him, but she contained herself. And for the first time, she could actually answer that question honestly. "Yeah...I think I finally am."

***

0400 ZULU

Rabb Home

Georgetown Virginia

October 31st, 2020

Despite her friends' protests, she insisted she was okay, and just asked to go home. But her joints cried out to her as she climbed up the pergola, which led right up to her bedroom window. The window was even still open. She grunted as she climbed through the window into her dark room. She closed the sash and just stood there a moment. She was in her room. Her real room. How many times did she dream about this? Grace flopped down on her bed, taking in the smell of the sheets. That wonderful smell. But another scent entered her nostrils. And her eyelids snapped open. She sat up in the bed.    Before her eyes could adjust to the darkness, the light at her chair on the other side of the room switched on. Her father sat there with a deep frown. But it was the absolute most wonderful thing she could have seen at that moment. Grace hopped off the bed and bounded over to him. His eyes widened when she fell down into the chair (or more his lap) and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry for what I said to you! It was immature, mean, and stupid! I'm sorry for sneaking out! I'm sorry!" 

Eventually, she felt his hand pat her back. "Um..." The man was clearly at a loss for words, "well...don't think this is gonna get you out of a punishment, young lady."

"I don't care," She exclaimed, her face buried into his chest, "ground me, I don't care!"

Her father gently held her back, scrutinizing, almost. His eyes narrowed. "Something's different about you." He murmured. 

Grace smiled. Something was different. Something would always be different about her. She swallowed, wiping away a tear. "Yeah...I think I grew up a little bit."

***

THE END

***

*blows off keyboard* Now, now, don't get angry, the epilogue is next week! I promise!

~sancti  


	15. Epilogue

Thank you all, sooooo much!

GHeTtOnErD: Thank you so much! I hope you like the epilogue!!

Nada Zimri: I know, I'm sad too. But it had to end sometime!!! :(. I'm still sad though. Thank you for the support throughout the whole thing, I owe ya one ;).

Jagchuck105: LoL, I'm sorry, but the epilogue was gonna be as long as a regular chapter! Yeah, she's going to remember everything that happened. Man, that would be sad if she didn't! Oh, you're quite welcome, always open to questions :). And thank you so much for all your nice compliments  *raises coffee mug*. Oh, and, uh, just for old time's sake...see ya next week ;). 

Mimmi: Hey there! Thank you! Yeah, though it was tempting to stay where she was, the whole story was kind of a big lesson for her. She had the chance to see her parents and the way they were before actually becoming parents. Aw, thank you, personally, I thought the ending scene was kind of short, and I can think of a few things I could have added, but that's what epilogues are for, right?! :D  . Thank you so for your support!

e-dog: LOL, yes, you've said 'wow' before, but it's all good. :D. It, really, it was quite an adventure, because so many things happened in this story that I didn't even plan on. It was weird, like it kind of wrote itself, if that makes any sense, lol. Thank you so much again for your constant support!

Pissed Off Poet: Thank you! Yeah, basically, the whole story was Grace growing up a little and getting some answers as to why her parents were the way they...uh...were...wait...okay, that sentence made sense...anywho, well, it would be difficult for Grace to explain what happened, and this might be just something she'd want to keep to herself. That is until you read the end of this epilogue...muahahaha... :D...Thank you so much for your support throughout the whole story :). 

Pennithil: Hey there, Pennit. *sigh*...I know...but, basically, the whole story was kind of bent on Grace finding out what life was about, and how and why people change. It wasn't really meant for her to find her love. But even though Grace had to leave Eric, there will still be some of him in here :D.  

JagSister: Thank you so much! And here's the epilogue! :D

DD2: LoL, don't worry. The epilogue will be about as long as a regular chapter :).

Kiwi: Thank you! Oh, I know, it's weird for me to know after this, a new chapter won't be due next Friday *sniff*...but once a sequel gets rolling, I'll be back in business :D. Thank you!!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*240*~ on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, KIWI!!!!!!!!! 

Kstorm: Thank you! When I re-read the last chappy the next day, I kinda felt like things were rushed a little bit, and I see some things I could have added, but that's what epilogues are for, right?!!! Thank you so for your constant support!

Moonlights Sundance: Aw, thank you! I know, I didn't want it to end either, but, like you said, all good things must....etc.....*sniff*....Hey, and yeah, I read your story before I posted this chapter!!! I believe mine is the second review!!! Thank you for your constant support!

Sunny: Oh, don't worry, already have that allll planned out. Eric and a few other past characters will make an appearance :). Thank you for reading!!!

Maggie: Hey there! Aw, thank you...I try, lol. Thank you so much for your constant support, maggie! :).

Cassie: Thank you! I know, I don't wanna see it end either, but it had to sometime! This seemed like a good spot to do so :). Thank you for reading!

Cmaf: Dooon't worry, Eric will be in it. And I have a little twist with the doctor thing, you'll see. Thank you so much! LOL, I like that signature too! Where do you get those?!!! :D. Thank you again!!!!

Arwen Undomiel: Thank you so much, and those reviews wouldn't be here if it wasn't for wonderful ppls like you :). I just write, lol, you guys handled the review department, thank you for that :D. Thank you so much, personally, I thought the ending was a little rushy, and a couple things could have been added, but that's what epilogues are for, right?!! :D. LOL, oh, I'm gonna strangle those JAG writers if somethin' doesn't happen soon! Ah, but in an interview with DJE a month or so ago on some show, he kind of hinted that something was going to happen...teeheehee.....Thank you so much, and I wish you the best as well! LoL, yes, you'll get your sequel, I just need some time to think!!! :D. Thank you and uh, just for old time's sake, see ya next week :). 

 Domintel: Hey there! Wow, thank you for the effort you made to read all of it, lol! Oh, I know, I know, lol. I don't have a beta-reader, and a couple of times, I'd be up late finishing a chapter, and I wouldn't proof-read it, (bad me, bad me), which usually isn't like me anyway. I get really annoyed when I see typos in there, lol. LoL, but don't worry about it, I always welcome any kind of criticism, even if they're rude (which yours very much wasn't, I've gotten worse :D). Ah yes, and the angst, I have to have my angst in there, lol. Just wouldn't be right without somebody gettin' hurt! :D. Oh thank you, I think it's a really good way to connect with the readers when you respond to them. I enjoy and will always do it :). Thank you so much again, and see ya around!

Sunchaser2: LOL, *looks at calendar* ah! Look at that! It's Friday! :D. Thank you so much, you have a great week too!

Lady Jade: LoL, yes, she remembers everything. It would really suck if she didn't. Kind of because the whole moral of the story, is Grace learning a lesson and using it when she gets back to her normal life. :D thank you for reviewing, it means a lot!!!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*250*~ on the review list!!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, JADE!!!!!!!!!!

Harm-n-Mac Shipper: Aw, I know. Sad. See, when I'm writing these scenes, a lot of times, if I feel really emotional, my joints start to, I dunno, seize up or something, and my nerve endings were doin' something and I get all twitchy, ya know? Tsk, aw, thank you for the compliment. It means so much :). Thank you so much for your constant support :D. 

Nikole1025: LOL, thank you. Yes, Eric will make an appearance :D. Thank you so much for your support!!!!

CharmedMummy: Hey there! LOL, I know, it was abrupt, but that's what epilogues are for, right?!?! Oh, when Grace described who "Phdman04" was, she said he was her "unofficial psychiatrist." And doctors always have a PhD from college and stuff. Sorry if that came out confusing. Yess, I know, I wrote the end of that chapter (shamefully) faster than I should have, and when I re-read it, I realized my mistake with nobody noticing her sudden clothes change. But it'll also be mentioned in the epilogue. Anywho, thank you again, and, just for old times sake, see ya next week ;). 

Girlgunner: Thank you so much. The Eric/Grace scene is probably my favorite of that whole chapter. Thank you again for your constant support :). 

Carby24/7: Aw, thank you! Yeah, if I didn't push myself with the every week thing, I doubt I would've gotten it done. And thank you, the Eric/Grace scene was difficult to write, but it's one of my favorite parts of the last chapter. Thank you, and, just for old time's sake, see ya next week :). 

Deb: Thank you. The Eric/Grace part was one of my personal favorite scenes of the story. The goodbye scene was a tearjerker to write as well. I'm so glad you and the others liked it! Thank you again for your constant support!

missmobster: Welcome back! Thank you, yeah, it is kind of a bitter/sweet deal. But it was a blast to write and I'm so glad you like it!!! Thank you again!!! 

A/N: Here's the epilogue as promised. Also, if you post a review for this, your review response will be in the first chapter of the sequel to this, due sometime soon.... :D. Thanks again, everybody!

~sancti

Epilogue 

1513 ZULU

Rabb Home

Georgetown, Virginia

Sunday, November 1st, 2020

"_Good morning, Virginia, and welcome to the first day of November! And it certainly wouldn't be November without the first snow of the season. That's right, look out your windows everybody, there's a fresh dusting of the white stuff—_"

"Shut-up." Grace murmured. The voice on the clock/radio stopped. 

Grace brought the comforter over her head to block out the rays of sunshine that filtered into her room. Sudden images and words swam around her mind, replaying the events of the night before. 

Her father gave her the most curious look. "You grew up, huh?" 

_Grace nodded. "Yeah. And I realize why you did too."_

_He narrowed his eyes again. "_Me_?"_

_Grace didn't expect him to understand now or ever. What happened to her was something that felt deeply personal now. She wasn't about to try and explain how she changed. _

_ Grace stood, sighing. "I'm gonna go to bed."_

_Her father's response was delayed a moment before his head snapped up. "Yeah. We'll talk about this in the morning."_

_Grace went to her closet to look for pajamas and Harm suddenly stopped at her door. He gave her a once over, slightly raising his hand to point at her. _

_"Are those new clothes?"_

_Grace looked down at herself, smoothing her hand over the shirt. "Um...no?"_

_Her father shook his head, then bid her good night before closing the bedroom door._

Grace almost drifted back to sleep when she heard a familiar thump of feet in the hallway outside her room. The rapid footsteps grew closer and her door swung open. Grace jolted when the little form jumped onto her bed. 

"Gracie! Gracie! Did you really sneak outta the house?!" The little girl said as she jumped up and down on the bed, "Mommy and Daddy are really mad!" Isabelle said with a toothy grin. 

Grace stared at the girl, still in her pajamas (a gray U.S. Navy T-shirt that went below her knees), with her brown curly hair sticking out in all directions. Before Grace could react, another pair of footsteps bounded in the hallway then into her room.

Jake jumped up onto the bed, landing on his stomach. Unlike his sisters, he was dressed and ready for the day. 

"You went to that party, didn't you?! Did you make out with _Ben_?!" Jake sneered.

Usually, Grace would have pushed them both out of her room, slamming the door in their faces. But now, she couldn't be happier to see them. She pulled both of them toward her and embraced them tightly. They were like real proof that she was back. Jake immediately detested the situation and squirmed out of the hug.

"What's your malfunction?!" He exclaimed, falling back onto the bed. He brushed a hand over his shirt, as if any contact with either of his siblings would mean impending death...

Isabelle on the other hand was more shocked than anything by her sister's sudden bout of kindness, and she made herself comfortable in her sister's lap. 

 Grace smiled at them both. She never quite realized how much she had missed them. Isabelle then looked from her sister to Jake. "What's "make out" mean?" She asked innocently. 

Grace glared over at Jake, who shrugged sheepishly. "Sor-ry, she usually never listens to what I say!"

Grace playfully kicked him, triggering Jake to beat her with a pillow. 

***

1520

After five minutes of, "Pummel Big Sister," Grace's two siblings ran off down the stairs and into the coat closet to put on their snow gear. Even though there was barely three inches of snow, it was enough for the two to get excited about. Grace slowly made her way down the stairs, taking in the familiarity of the home. Her childhood home. She recognized ever mark on the wall, every dent in the wooden banister. 

 She heard her parents' voices and, knowing she wouldn't be able to avoid them any longer, headed towards the kitchen. As she entered the room, the first thing she saw was her mother on the other side, opening the blinds. Light flooded into the room, giving her mother's form a glow. And when she turned around at Grace's footsteps, she looked like the young Mac for a second. Grace halted as her eyes played tricks. After a moment, she recognized a wrinkle here, and a gray hair there. This was her mother. But so was the other Mac, it was just she was younger and inexperienced as a parent. But this one was wise; you could see it in her eyes. And at the moment, those eyes were scrutinizing her shrewdly. 

 Grace wanted to run to her and hug her, but Mac looked less than affectionate. Without so much as a "good morning," she nodded her head towards the table, where Harm quietly drank his coffee and pretended to read the paper. Grace sat down across from her parents, ready to receive whatever punishment they'd created in the last ten hours. 

 Mac opened her mouth, but clamped it shut, looking down at the table. Harm slumped down in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. Grace parted her lips, curious. They were angry about something else, she knew they were. 

 Grace recognized the military stance in her mother as she straightened her spine, folding her hands on the table. "Your father was...kind enough to hold off until now—"

"I know you two deserve a full explanation." Grace said, broaching the most important part of the conversation. 

Her parents exchanged glances, and her mother's frame relaxed as she leaned back in the chair. "All right. You'll start with how you got that bump on your head."

She sighed. It wasn't the injury she received when she first crossed over. She suffered it coming back. "That comes later."

"You went to the party, didn't you?" Harm asked quietly. 

Grace nodded. "Yeah, but I didn't stay for more than an hour." 

They looked at each other again, obviously surprised by their daughter's honesty. "Really," Mac continued, "...and...where did you go?"

Knowing she couldn't explain the biggest part of her "adventure," she told only the details they would understand. "Outside Georgetown to the old Dupree Mansion. It was a dare."

Mac scoffed. "_What_? Grace, that place is dilapidated and—and unstable—"

"I know." Grace pointed to the bump on her head, "I fell through the stairs. I'm okay though."

"You _what_?!" Harm shot forward in the chair, his voice rising until Mac put a hand on his arm. 

"Don't worry, I'm fine!"

Her father sighed sharply and leaned back in the chair again. Mac rubbed her temple, returning her gaze to the table. Grace swallowed. There was something else bothering them. 

"What is it?" She asked. 

Harm propped his elbows on the armrest of the seat, placing his crossed hands under his chin. "There's an article in the paper this morning about the party."

Grace narrowed her eyes. That didn't make sense. "Why?"

"Do you know a girl named Mel Lance?"

Grace shrugged a shoulder. "Not really, she's in my chemistry class...why?"

Harm stared at the paper, clenching his jaw. "When cops came to the frat house because of noise complaints, they found her beaten and raped in a bedroom upstairs."

Grace felt her breath catch. Mac pursed her lips, containing whatever emotions stirring inside. "Authorities arrested her attacker this morning. His name's Tom Kozach."

Grace cringed. 

"You know him?" Harm asked, noticing her discomfort. 

"Only because he spilled his drink on me." She murmured, remembering how angry she was that her sweater had been ruined. It dawned on her how much more could have been ruined. Mel Lance was a quiet, reserved girl who simply enjoyed science. She didn't deserve this. Then again, no one deserved to be raped. Grace just couldn't help thinking she might have been the victim.  

But Harm seemed to think this was just as bad with hanging out with the guy. "You know, I thought you told me the party was going to be chaperoned!" He said a little harsher than he had too. 

"That's what I was told!" Grace retorted. Her parents _had_ to believe _that_. 

Mac squeezed her husband's hand, silently informing him to let her take over now. Like a little boy being ordered into silence, he slumped back in the chair again, crossing his arms. Mac reached across the table and grasped her daughter's hand. "Gracie...we love you. We'd never want to see you hurt. But what happened to that girl," Mac sighed, "just knowing that you were in that same frat house, mingling with those very people...it's...daunting. You understand?"

Grace nodded. "Yes. I understand perfectly," she then scoffed at her parents' skeptical looks, "really, I do!"

Harm glanced at his wife, who bit her lip, looking down. "Grace, we—we really need to make sure you're grasping what we're saying. No only did you go to the party, which we clearly told you not to, you snuck out of the house! Imagine what could have happened with you walking the streets alone—"

"But I didn't," Grace exclaimed, "Clay picked me up—" She stopped when she realized what had tumbled out of her mouth. 

Mac gasped. "_Clay_ was in on this too?!"

Grace, frustrated with herself, stood from the table. "Look...I came back alive, right? I realize what I did was wrong, and it won't happen again! Why won't you believe me?!"

Mac stood, stepping up to her. The girl's mother still had three inches on her, and she knew it. Mac used it to appear as challenging as possible. Grace didn't dare look into her eyes. 

"You destroyed a big part of the trust I thought we had," Mac murmured, "it'll take a while to get that back."

"I know." Grace answered, just above a whisper. 

And to her surprise, her mother hugged her, like she was relieved. Grace returned the hug, looking over her mother's shoulder and seeing her father give her a small nod of assurance. 

"We don't want you to get hurt, that's all." Mac said before breaking the hug.

Grace missed her old parents. And Eric. And Nancy, Patrick, her cat, and oh, hell, even Daniel. But when she was in that world, she found what she missed most was the fact that this was where she belonged. She had a place here. She was a puzzle piece with a place in this world, even though at times it was difficult for her to fit into that big puzzle. 

 And she loved the security of knowing that. She actually had a place in this world. And to think it took her a whole year and all she went through to realize that. It was a scare tactic. And probably the only way for her to look at the world any differently. 

***

1430 ZULU

Rabb Home

Georgetown, Virginia

One Month Later...

 Grace stepped out of the house of her own free will for the first time in a month. It was December first, the day her parents said would be the end of her punishment. Which was simply being grounded for a month. She didn't mind it all that much. It gave her time to be closer to them. To discuss her boundaries, and those of her friend's. She wasn't sure how she did it, but her parents agreed to let her date, as long as the boy was given the old, "Rabb Inspection." Her father enforced the rule and demanded to meet any boy she was even _thinking_ about dating. She repulsed at the idea a little bit, but knew there was no way out of it, so she accepted. 

 A car horn honked from the road, and Grace flinched as a bitter wind cut through her jacket. Grace kicked through some of the freshly fallen snow as she made her way down the front yard toward Clay's car. She opened the door and slipped into the warm interior where Christmas music blasted loudly from the speaker. Clay loved just about everything that had to do with the Christmas season. So much in fact, that by the time it actually _reached_ the twenty-fifth, Grace was completely sick of, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and, "Santa Baby."     

Grace turned down the music and sighed happily, glancing over at her friend. "Well—that's it. I'm free." 

Clay sniggered. "Just wait until the Christmas parties roll around." 

Grace playfully shoved him as the car pulled away from the curb. 

"Where to, m'lady?" Clay joked as they came to a red light. 

Grace put her hands over the heater. "You mind taking a long ride?"

He gave the girl a sidelong glance. "The Oaks, I take it? You sure you wanna go?"

Grace took her gloves off now that her hands were warmed. "Yeah. It's been too long, I should go."

Sighing, Clay pulled into the right-turn only lane and stepped on the gas. 

***

1648 ZULU

The Oaks Assisted Living Home

Lynchburg, Virginia 

 The beauty of the place always took Grace aback. The grounds were gorgeous, with gardens stretching for an acre during the spring and summer. At the moment, the ground was covered with a fresh coating of powdery snow. 

 Clay and Grace took off their coats, gloves, and hats, hanging them on a coat hanger near the door. For a retirement home, there was certainly a lot going on. The seniors were all over the place. In a room nearby, someone was playing the piano and a senior's voice echoed, "The First Noel," throughout the halls. A couple of old guys sat at a small table next to them playing chess. And there was movement, though slow, and laughter through the foyer of the retirement home. 

 One of the nurses spotted them, and Grace recognized the woman right away. 

"Miss Rabb!" The little woman said cheerfully as she walked up to her, "It's been a while!"

Grace made a half smile. "I know. How is he?"

The nurse's smile slowly dissipated and she bit her lip. "It hasn't been better, Grace. You wanna see him?"

Grace nodded, though it was more an automatic reaction. Her feet stayed rooted to the ground. It wasn't until she felt Clay's hand slip into her own, did she gain the confidence to follow the nurse down the cheerfully decorated hallway. 

 The elder woman's singing and the piano music became louder as they passed the room. The nurse smiled. "That's Mrs. Johansson. She used to sing in clubs as a young lady. She's still got quite a voice!"

They passed another hallway, making a turn here and there until they finally reached  a room with an American flag taped flimsily to the door. The nurse brought a finger to her lips, signaling them to be silent. She then knocked lightly on the door. 

"Admiral! You have visitors!"

Grace immediately recognized the voice from inside. If she didn't know better, the man sounded like he always did. "Send them in!" He ordered. 

The nurse, who Grace just remembered was named Shirley, opened the door and stood aside for them to come in. 

The room was exactly as Grace had remembered it from six months ago. It had all the standard furniture. A nice bed, armchair, dresser, TV, bookshelf, and a counter for the Admiral to prepare snacks. And the man's most prized possession—his desk. Though considerably smaller than the one he owned when he was the JAG, he treated it all the same. Everything from his old desk lined this new one. Even papers and files still cluttered it. 

 AJ had his head bent down over his, "work" and didn't look up until Shirley cleared her voice. "Sir?"

He put up a hand to silence her. "Hold on a minute," AJ finally finished writing whatever it was, and folded up the piece of paper, holding it out to Shirley. "Make sure this gets to the SecNav ASAP, Petty Officer."

Shirley stood at attention. "Aye, aye, sir." Clay and Grace exchanged glances. After the nurse made an about-face, she leaned over to Grace, opening the, "letter." Written inside was a bunch of scribble lines, "You just have to play along sometimes. Call me if you need anything."

The nurse left the room, closing the door behind her. The two teenagers stood awkwardly for a few seconds before Grace cleared her throat. AJ stopped writing and slowly lifted his head to look at her. He narrowed his eyes, like he recognized her but couldn't figure out for the life of him where he'd seen her. Grace smiled and sat down in the armchair next his own. 

"Hi, Admiral." 

AJ stared at her curiously, cocking a dark eyebrow. "Do we have an appointment?" He asked, scanning her face with his serious eyes. 

Grace sighed. It had gotten so much worse. But he didn't say yet that he actually didn't _remember_ her. "Um...no. This is kind of a surprise." She answered, nodding to Clay. The boy made a small wave of a his hand, clearly too uncomfortable to say anything. AJ only studied Clay for a moment, since he never said anything. He then turned his attention back to Grace. 

"I'm very busy, ma'am. Is there something I can do for you?" Without waiting for an answer, AJ turned back to his work. 

Grace held back tears. He'd called her, "ma'am." 

"Admiral, it's me...Grace. Grace Rabb?"

AJ stopped writing again, and his eyes looked toward the ceiling. "Rabb. That bastard went back to flying," he shook her head, "I told him it was a step back in his career."

Grace couldn't believe it. Her parents had visited AJ not two weeks ago. They said he was doing well! This wasn't well! He'd forgotten the past fifteen years! But Grace knew why they did it. So they wouldn't upset her. It was only a matter of time before she found out on her own. 

Grace stuck out her hand. "Admiral, I'm Ensign Grace Rabb. I'm training to be a lawyer. The SecNav suggested I work at your JAG office."

This caught his attention and he shook her hand, his eyes still scrutinizing her. "Really," He said flatly, "how long have you been studying law, Ensign?"

Grace bit back the tears again. "About a year, I guess." She couldn't help it anymore, she choked on a sob and lowered her head so he wouldn't see. 

AJ chuckled. "Don't worry, Ensign, soon you'll have that degree and you'll be defending your first client in no time. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to finish my letter to the SecNav, which has to be delivered ASAP. Send my yeoman in here before you leave—dismissed." 

Grace felt Clay's hand on her shoulder and she stood. His arm wrapped around her shoulder and he eased her towards the door. She was now infinitely grateful for the time she'd spent with AJ, and was glad she got the words across when she could see his true expression. 

***

1850 ZULU

Dupree Mansion

Outside Georgetown, Virginia

October 31st, 2002

Harm stared at the hole he'd made in the stairs. The hole he'd dropped his daughter into. He wasn't even sure what had just happened. He'd dropped her, then just found himself staring at this hole. He could feel Mac's gaze as well, and he turned to see her gawking at him. 

"Harm," she murmured, "we—we didn't go poof. W—weren't we supposed to go poof?"

He was speechless. Why didn't anything happen? A thought suddenly dawned on him.

The old lady. Mrs. Nelson, was it? It made sense. For this gap to close, wouldn't she have to go back as well? 

Harm and Mac's gazes connected. "Mrs. Nelson." He whispered, just loud enough for Mac to hear. The Marine's eyes widened and her jaw dropped a little. 

Harm shook his head. "Why didn't we think of that?!" Sighing sharply, Harm started down the stairs. 

Harm's foot suddenly caught the axe, and he fell backward. Mac watched in horror as the tall man fell, breaking through the unstable wood. 

"HARM!" She screamed. She didn't get an answer, and before she realized what she was doing, Mac ran up the stairs, falling in with him. 

The year of 2020 would be greeted by some very confused visitors. 

***

***

Now, now, I will address the Eric/Grace situation in the new story, but I couldn't really find a place for him in the epilogue. I think I'm just gonna save that and any Clay Jr./Grace situations for the sequel. Once again, any reviews for this will be responded in the first chapter of the sequel, which will be entitled, "False Tactics." First chapter out in a few weeks! *whimper* I need my coffee break!!! :) Thank you all again...so, so much.

~sancti


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